To be immortal
by The Forgotten Lover
Summary: No one came back after Edward left in New Moon. Five years later, Alice Cullen shows up only to find a tombstone with Bella's name on it. Only thing is, no one knows if Bella is really dead. Can Alice find Bella and make up? Alice/Bella femslash
1. Chapter 1

Some would do anything for a chance to be immortal. To be a person who could never die, and live to see the end of the world. Never becoming sick, or dying from diseases that take more and more people every day. To be able to see every sunset and sunrise that ever existed. Many people wish to become immortal like me.

I would call these people foolish.

They don't know what it's like to live so long that you see the ones you love grow old and die, while you stay and grieve their death for all eternity. No one understands what forever is, it's impossible to imagine unless you are living it.

If these people who seek immortality ever gained it, they would surely regret it once they realized how alone they truly are.

To know that anyone you will ever love will die before you kind of makes immortality suck. Who wants to live forever when every soul you ever loved dies, and you have to sit and watch it happen?

Only this time I didn't see the one I love die. I was too late for that…

I don't know why I stayed away from her. Maybe at the time I thought it was best for all of us to just go our separate ways. I blocked everything that had to do with her out of my mind; I didn't want to be reminded of how I broke the heart of the girl I love.

I had no visions of Bella for the five years I stayed away. I'm not sure why this happened, I thought I would have been plagued with visions of her, but it was like she dropped off the face of the earth. Maybe me wanting to block her out of my mind had something to do with it.

Sometimes my mind would drift away though, and I couldn't help but to think of where she was now, what she was doing, and if she ever moved on.

I suppose this is what brought me here now, standing in the forest behind her old house, if it was still hers. It's only been five years, but it looks as if the house has been her for decades.

I wonder if she is in there now?

My curiosity edged me closer towards the house. I want so badly to go in there, and make everything better. I heard someone coming out of the house, as I stayed hidden in the darkness of the forest. I didn't want anyone to see me just yet.

Charlie came out of the back door, and began walking toward a mass close to a tree. His hair has become white on the sides; otherwise he still looked the same.

I watched as he kneeled down beside the tree and began talking. That is when I noticed it wasn't just a tree he was talking to. Right below the tree was a marble stone.

My eyes grew wide at the realization that it was a headstone. I crawled closer toward Charlie to see if I could get a better look.

I was afraid that it might be Bella beneath the headstone.

This can't be true. It's only been five years, what the hell could have happened? My chest began to ache, and I slumped down against the bank of the tree I was hiding by.

Maybe it was someone else, it doesn't mean that the person in the grave is Bella. I have to make sure.

I watched Charlie as he touched the headstone, and then made his way toward his car. He must be going to work.

Once his car was out of sight, I forced myself up off the ground and walked to the grave.

What I saw made me fall on my knees.

Isabella Swan

Loving Daughter

We will always love you

My hand covered my mouth as I tried to hush my sobs. I couldn't believe my eyes. Bella is dead.

A vision came to my head of the last time I saw Bella smile, and now I know I will never be able to see that smile again.

"My sweet Bella. I love you so much, and I'm so sorry I abandoned you. I never told you how I really felt. I guess you will never know now." I touched the tombstone.

I sat there in silence for a few minutes, until I smelt something disgusting and realized that I wasn't alone anymore.

My eyes roamed the forest until I found what I was looking for. A dog was watching me, and I knew it was no ordinary dog.

"I'm only here to visit my friend. I mean no harm." I spoke to the werewolf. I tried to look as harmless as I could.

"I know who you are." A man appeared next to the giant beast, and I recognized him as Bella's friend Jacob.

"It's okay, tell the others not to harm." Jacob said to the wolf. The beast looked at Jacob, and then ran off into the forest.

"You're Bella's friend, Jacob." I approached him cautiously.

"And you're a Cullen. Alice, right?" He asked me.

"That's right."

"What may I ask are you doing here?" Jacob folded his arms across his chest, and glared at me.

"I wanted to see Bella, but it looks like I'm too late. I had no idea this happened."

"You ruined what was left of her life. You should have never come back here."

"I didn't want that to happen. I never thought something like this would happen. I wasn't expecting her to be dead. What happened to her?" I practically begged him for answers.

"Who said that she was dead?" Jacob spat at me.

"What do you mean? There's a tombstone over there with her name on it." I pointed to the marble stone by the tree.

"You failed to notice that there isn't a day of death on the headstone. You don't know the whole story."

"Why don't you enlighten me then?" I asked

"And why would I tell you anything. I don't owe you a word, you're just a bloodsucker."

"Jacob please, is she still alive? I just want to know what happened. I would have never wished for this. I didn't want to ever leave Bella." I tried hard to keep my voice calm.

"Then why did you leave her? She never gave up on you, thinking you would come back someday, but you're the one her gave up on her."

"I didn't give up on her. You don't understand that we meant no harm. We thought it would be best if we let her live her life without us."

"Well, what you thought was wrong, obviously." He took a defensive step toward me.

"Please, tell me if she is still alive or not. I need to know. I love her." There was a hitch in my voice when I told him that. I was afraid of admitting my feelings to anyone, but I had to let him know.

Jacob studied me for a minute, and his expression changed.

"I don't know if Bella is dead or not. No one ever found her body." Jacob admitted.

There was still hope.

"What happened to her Jacob?"

"The red headed vampire came for her after you guys left. My pack tried to keep Bella safe for as long as we could, but one day she disappeared. No one knew what happened to her, but one day Charlie went looking in the forest for clues and came back with one of Bella's coats. There was blood on it, but no body."

I will always regret the day I left Bella.

"And that's all you've ever found? What makes you think that she is still alive?"

"Sometimes I can smell her scent, only it is tainted. It smells like one of you. Anytime we try to go investigate who it is, the person is already gone."

"So you think Bella could be a vampire?"

"It's possible." Jacob sighed.

"How often do you come across this scent?" I asked, now trying to figure out where Bella could be.

"About once a month. If she is still out there, she probably comes to check on her dad. He isn't doing too well since he thinks he lost his daughter."

"Did she know that you're a werewolf?"

"She's known it for a long time now. I don't think she wants me to find her, or anyone for that matter. I think Bella wanted to leave us all behind, it was too painful for her to stay here anymore."

"What do you mean?" I feared the answer would be because of us.

"Bella gave up on everything after you left. She hated everything about Forks, because it reminded her of you. I tried to love her, but her heart was always for someone else. She left me behind too." Jacob's face turned to stone.

I realized that Jacob was still in love with Bella.

"I'm sorry Jacob, I wish I could change what happened. I would have never left her if I knew what was going to be."

"Why did you leave her, Alice? She always talked about you the most, thinking that you would still come for her one day. The last time I saw her as alive, as a human at least, she was talking about you. She told me that she couldn't believe she ever loved you. She told me you betrayed her, and that she didn't know why she was waiting any longer."

My body ached when I heard him say that.

"I need to find her Jacob. If she is still out there somewhere."

"You might be in luck. Charlie has his birthday coming up soon, and I don't think Bella could resist showing up to see how he is doing."

"Can I stay and wait for her?" I asked Jacob

"I will allow it, but only because it involves Bella."

"Thank you." I smiled at him.

"Please let me know if you find anything." He asked me.

"I'm sure you'll be the first to know."


	2. Chapter 2

How do you begin to look for someone who doesn't want to be found?

That is the question I keep asking myself. I don't think waiting in Bella's room for 3 days will work. I'm sure once she gets close enough, she'll know I'm near. I may need Jacob to help me corner her somewhere.

I could call one of my family members to come help, but none of them know I am here. I haven't seen them for quite some time.

After I spoke with Jacob, he agreed to move his pack along the boundary line of Forks when it's Charlie's birthday. That way, if Bella or whoever smells like Bella is out there, they will be easier to find.

I haven't given up on you Bella.

I will make us right again.

I'm wondering if I should tell Edward what has happened. I haven't spoken to him in at least two years, and I have no clue where he could be. The last time I saw Edward he was planning to go live on the east coast.

"Somewhere where no one can find me." Edward kept telling us after we left Bella. One day he finally disappeared without warning. We knew he would be back someday, we just weren't sure of when that would be.

If he doesn't want to be found, then maybe I shouldn't bother trying to get in contact with him. For once in my life, I should do exactly what I want to do, and right now that doesn't involve Edward.

I'm just sitting here in the forest wondering if I should tell Edward that Bella is, or could be dead. I should be looking for clues as to where Bella might be, instead of thinking about Edward. He is out of the picture. It's just me this time.

Maybe I should go into Bella's room, and see if I can find anything to help me with my search. I stood up from sitting by Bella's tombstone, and quietly make my way towards her bedroom window.

I climbed up the old tree that I've climbed so many times before, and peek inside the window.

The room looks untouched, almost like Charlie is saving it for Bella's return. Poor Charlie, he has nothing else to hope for. His daughter was all he had; now he is all alone.

I leap up to the window, hoping it's unlocked and fortunately for me it is. I won't have to break the window to get in. I slowly push open the window, and step inside.

The smell of Bella immediately hits my nose, and I breathe it in deeply. I smile just a little for allowing myself to remember a little more about Bella.

She never changed a thing; everything is exactly how it was the day that I left. For some reason the first thing I head for is her closet. I gently open the doors, and notice that most of the same clothes are still there. I walk up to one of her favorite shirts, and put it against my nose.

I inhale as much as I could, and I began to sob once more. I've missed her so much; I wish I could hold her right now. My body aches with the thought that she might actually be dead. If she was here right now I would never let her out of my sight again.

I sink onto the floor of the closet, cradling her shirt like it was Bella herself. "I love you so much Bella. Please don't be dead, you're all I have left in this world."

I remain in the closet for some time. It took me a while to calm myself down, and pick myself off the floor.

I close the door to her closet, but decide to keep her favorite shirt in my hands. I remember that I was the one that gave her this shirt. It was one that she actually liked, and I felt so happy when she thanked me for it.

I can't believe I didn't remember that until just now. I should have stayed tuned into Bella; maybe this wouldn't have happened to her if I did.

I take a look at her bed, and notice that the bed isn't made. It looks like she just got out of bed this morning, and left it there for someone else to do. It would usually be done be me or Edward, but not this time.

I didn't want to mess up the bed, so I refrain myself from touching it. Instead, I look at her desk. I try to look for some kind of clue to where she might be.

Old homework and books is what covered the top of the desk. I found an old notebook of Bella's laying on the table, and pick it up.

I recognized Bella's handwriting on the page it was turned to.

_I must get out of here. I can't be happy here. Where are you when I needed you most?_

A simple line of text can say so many things.

I decide to take the journal with me to see if there are any more clues to her whereabouts.

Next to where her journal was, there was a torn out piece of paper with more of Bella's handwriting on it.

Seattle

_Oregon_

_Anchorage_

_Juneau _

_London_

_Dublin_

_Edinburgh_

One thing I noticed about her list was that all these places were known for their lack of sunlight.

Could she have thought that we were in these places, or perhaps these were some of the places she was thinking about running away to? Was she turned into one of us?

This piece of paper left me even more confused than I was to begin with.

I wanted to look around her room more, but I saw Charlie was coming home soon. I needed to leave before he came into the house.

I crawled out the window and closed the window quietly behind me. I made sure to take Bella's notebook with me to see if I could find anything useful in it.

Before I left Bella's house for the night, I decided to take a picture of the headstone with my phone. I sent the picture to Jasper with a text saying "Call me when you get this. Don't tell anyone."

I needed a place to stay, far enough away so that if Bella were near she wouldn't catch onto my scent, but close enough so I could reach her when she appeared.

I left Jacob my cell phone number so if he picks up her scent, I would make my move. The best place for me to go would be our old house. I doubt Bella would go there anymore. If I were Bella, I wouldn't want to be reminded of anything having to do with us.

Nothing about my old house has changed, except that it was a little dusty. It was creepy realizing that everything was exactly the same as we left it. It's been undisturbed for five years. It's like everyone has been afraid to come around our house, as if we are waiting to attack anyone who comes near.

Once I managed to get inside my house, I didn't bother looking around at anything. I moved straight to my room, and closed the door behind me. It's hard for me to even be reminded of my past.

I sat on the bed that I got for Bella when she used to sleep over, and flipped open her journal.

There wasn't much in it that would lead me to her whereabouts, just a bunch of old school notes, and doodles. I sighed as I kept flipping through the pages, trying to find anything that would help me out.

As I looked out my window, I noticed that rain drops began to turn into sleet. It looks like a big storm was about to hit.

And then I flipped the page one more time. Bella had written something other than notes. It was dated right after we left Forks.

I know you will come back for me. You mean too much to me to just leave me like that. I will wait for you, and if you never return, I will die alone. I can't be happy with anyone else. Alice, I need you right now.

This left me somewhat confused. Why was she talking about me? It's Edward that she should be talking about like that, not me.

Although I love Bella, I never told her how I felt. It would be wrong of me to admit the way I felt about my brother's girlfriend. Of course I loved her and wanted to be with her, but she was not mine.

My phone began to buzz in my pocket, knowing it was Jasper I answered the call.

"Hello" I said over the phone.

"Is this true?" Asked Jasper on the other end; referring to the picture I sent him.

"I'm not sure. I've been told she could still be alive."

"Who told you this?"

"Bella's old friend Jacob. Turns out he is one of the dogs."

"What makes him think that she is still alive?"

"He said that no one has found her body, and he can sometimes smell he scent, only her scent smells like us now."

"Sounds like we may have a new member of the family. How could she have been turned though?"

"Victoria possibly, but other than that I don't know. I have to find her, Jasper."

"I know you do Alice. Do you need any help from us? Should I tell them what you've found?"

"I don't need your help at the moment, I think I may be able to catch her the next time she comes around. You might as well tell them, I'm sure they will find out sooner or later."

"What about him?" Jasper asked, referring to Edward.

"Don't tell him now, I don't want him coming over here and causing any drama. He doesn't even speak to us, so why bother trying to speak to him. Not until I can figure out what is going on at least. I'm not getting very many clues as to where she might be."

"I won't tell him Alice. I hope you can find her, will you let me know when you do?"

"Of course Jasper."

"I'm sorry about all of this, Alice."

I knew he was talking about when he first attacked Bella, and the result was leaving Forks.

"It's not your fault. I just want to find her, and make up for lost time." I had never blamed Jasper for what happened. I know he had no control over his instincts.

"Thank you Alice. I will do anything you need to help you find her."

"Thanks. I'll let you know when something happens."

"Bye Alice."

"Bye." I said quietly.

I looked at the journal one more time, and then glanced out of the window. I know Bella is out there somewhere, and I am going to find her. I will search every inch of earth for the one I love.

* * *

**A/N: Thanks for all the feedback, I'm hoping I can craft this story into a good one.**


	3. Chapter 3

After silently waiting in my house for three days, the day of Charlies birthday had arrived.

I had no clues to go on, and I didn't want to be seen around town so I didn't really have any choice but to sit and wait. I didn't even leave my room; I just sat and thought of Bella.

The more I allowed myself to think of Bella, the more I could remember our past together. I kept thinking about her smile, and how it made me feel warm inside even in this cold body. I remembered the ache I felt inside of me when I wanted to move just a little bit closer towards her while she was sleeping. It took everything I had to keep away from her. Although I swore that I wouldn't tell her how I really felt, there were times where I almost slipped.

I kept thinking of one day in particular when I was alone with Bella. She was staying the night at my house while the rest of my family was out hunting. I thought it would be fun if we had a girl's night in.

I had bought a bed and put it in Edwards room, but I also bought my own just in case she wanted to sleep in my room.

I had cooked Bella lasagna for dinner, and afterward she said she was going to get ready for bed.

"It's okay if you want to use my shower, Bella. My house is your house." I told her.

"Okay, but do you need help cleaning up?" She asked me quietly.

"No Bella, that's okay. I can take care of it. Go ahead and go upstairs." I said as I picked up her plate.

She nodded her head, and left the room. As I watched her leave I felt ashamed for eying her body, and turned away quickly.

I moved to the sink, and quickly cleaned up the mess. I was done in less than a minute, so I decided to go up to my room.

I heard the shower in my bathroom, but continued to my room. Once inside, I decided to lie on the bed and pretend to be human. I closed my eyes, and had a vision of Bella in my shower.

I know I shouldn't have done it; it's such a wrong thing to do. Temptation got the best of me that night.

I didn't realize how long I was laying down, because I heard Bella calling for me.

"Alice, are you alright? It looked like you were sleeping for a minute." Bella smiled.

"I guess I wanted to know what it felt like to dream again." I smiled, and then opened my eyes.

My eyes widened a little when I saw that she wasn't wearing anything except a towel.

"Do you have any pajamas for me?" She asked shyly.

I stared for a second longer, and then said. "Yes, come here and I'll show you."

She approached me slowly, and I reached for the pajamas laid out for her.

I tried to hand it to her, but she didn't take it from me.

"You really want me to wear that?" She asked sounding surprised.

"Yes, why not? It would look good on you."

"It's so tiny." She picked up the silk nightgown in her hand and observed it.

"So, I thought you wanted to look good for Edward?" I asked, smiling at the expression on her face.

"I do, but he isn't here right now."

"Well it's all I have for you Bella. It's either you wear this, or you sleep naked."

She was silent for a minute, and I couldn't help but think of what she would look like without anything on.

"Fine, I'll put this on." She turned from me and walked back into my bathroom. I turned my attention to my bed again, and lay back down.

I remember thinking if only she was mine. I couldn't stop lusting over her that night, and it became worse when she walked out of my bathroom in that nightgown.

The black silk had clung to her every shape and curve. She stared shyly at me from the bathroom door as I stared at her from the position on my bed.

"You are beautiful Bella. Edward will love it." I told her.

"Do you really think so? I feel like I'm not wearing anything at all, it's embarrassing."

"You shouldn't be embarrassed to show your body, especially to the one you love. You're going to have to show him what you look like under your clothes someday."

"I don't want to think about that right now." She moved from her position by the bathroom, and came to sit next to me on my bed.

"What's the matter?" I asked, sitting up against my elbow.

She lowered herself to a similar position as me and replied, "Compared to you all, I'm just a simple girl. There's nothing beautiful about me. I don't come close to you at all as far as beauty goes."

"Don't be silly. You really are gorgeous. The first time I ever saw you I thought you looked like an angel."

I mentally slapped myself for saying that, it sounded so stupid.

Bella stared at me with her big brown eyes, but she didn't say anything.

I slipped a little further when I added, "If Edward wasn't your boyfriend, I think I would have to ask you out."

Bella laughed when I said that, she thought I was joking. Of course I played it off as a joke as well, and laughed along with her.

"You can't be serious." She said after she calmed down.

"You never know Bella. Maybe if the circumstances were different, we could have been an item."

"Sure. Whatever you say Alice." She rested her head on the pillow next to me, and closed her eyes.

I stared at her legs, and my eyes slowly moved up her body. It was getting hard for me to be around her, and I knew that I would have to go hunting soon.

"Alice, can I sleep in here tonight? I don't want to be alone." Bella asked me with her eyes still shut.

I smiled softly and replied, "Sure Bella. I would like that."

"Good." She simply replied.

I pulled the sheets back, and she adjusted her body so I could get them past her.

I pulled the blankets over her body, and I rested on top of them.

"I wish you were warm Alice, so I could hold on to you." Bella said after yawning. I could tell that she wasn't going to stay awake much longer.

"I wish that too Bella." I stared sadly at her face.

"Goodnight Alice" was the last thing Bella told me before she fell asleep.

I waited a few minutes before I whispered, "Goodnight my angel. I love you."

She was asleep, so it didn't matter if I said it or not. I just felt I had to say it to her, whether she was listening or not.

Here I am now, five years later, sitting on the same bed she slept in that night. I looked at the spot where she was, and could picture her there now. I placed the shirt I took from her house on that side of the bed and stared at it.

I think I'm obsessed…

I didn't have much more time to reminisce about Bella because I started to have a vision.

I froze on the spot when my sight went black, and I saw nothing at first. Tiny specs of white color invaded my vision. The dots were slowly falling down, eventually reaching the ground. I realized that it was snowing.

As I looked up from the ground, I noticed I was behind Bella's old house. Her tombstone was right next to me.

I heard movement from behind me, but it was very quiet, almost inaudible. At first I thought it was a doe, but when I turned around I quickly realized I was wrong.

There stood a woman, crouching behind the trunk of a tree staring at her the house. This woman was very pale; it would be very hard to see her through a snowstorm.

She came closer toward the house, enabling me to see her more clearly. Once she was close enough, I recognized this woman as Bella.

She wasn't much older than she was when we left, but she had grown a little more. I tried to look into her eyes to see what color they might be, but my vision faded when she came too close.

It was too late to tell what she was.

I open my eyes to find that I am sitting back in my old room. I had a vision of Bella for the first time in years.

Bella is alive. I couldn't help but smile at the revelation.

There is hope.

I look out the window, and could tell that a snowstorm is about to hit. She is coming soon. I have to tell Jacob.

I picked up my phone, and dialed Jacob's number. It didn't take long for him to answer it.

"Hello?" Jacob's husky voice answered on the other line.

"She's coming back." was all I needed to say.


	4. Chapter 4

I wasn't sure when exactly Bella would show up, but when I looked outside I noticed that it was going to start snowing soon. I took that as a hint that I needed to get to her house.

Jacob agreed to move his pack around the boundary line as soon as they caught scent of her. I would wait in the forest by her tombstone because that is where my vision saw her.

I have no idea what is going to happen when I see Bella; I just know I have to talk to her. If she runs, I must chase her. I'm not letting her go this time.

After I got off the phone with Jacob, I ran to Bella's house as fast as I could. It only took a minute before I got there. I ran up to the side of her old house, and leaned against the wall.

I looked into the window of her house and saw Charlie sitting in his usual spot. There was a game of some sort on TV so he was watching it of course. The phone rang, and I crouched down as Charlie went to answer it.

"Hello?" I heard his voice say.

There was a woman's voice on the other line, but I couldn't tell who it was.

"Hi, how are you doing honey?" Charlie responded happily.

Who is he calling honey? Could it be Bella?

"Thank you, I don't feel much older. Are you coming over later today?" He continued.

It couldn't have been Bella, unless Charlie knew she wasn't really dead.

"That's great, I'm looking forward to seeing you. It's been a while since I got to see that beautiful face of yours."

How could this get anymore confusing? Why would Charlie know about Bella, and still act as if she is dead? It has to be someone else.

"Okay, I'll see you later. I love you."

The woman on the other line murmured something back to Charlie, and he hung up the phone. I lifted up my head to see Charlie walk back to his chair. He had the biggest smile on his face.

I stared at him for a few minutes, wondering if Bella was really on the other line. Whoever it was sure made him happy.

I didn't realize that it started to snow until a flurry landed on my nose. I wiped it off, and turned around to see small piles of snow starting to form on the ground.

I knew that she would be coming soon, so I decided that it was best to move into the forest, and not stay out in the open for everyone to see. I moved into the forest, close to Bella's tombstone, but far enough away where no one would see me.

The wind was blowing away from her tombstone, so I would be able to catch onto her scent, but she would have a hard time catching onto mine.

I picked a big tree trunk, and kneeled beside it. I didn't want to scare Bella away, so I tried to make myself hidden until the timing was right.

My phone vibrated and I picked it up to see that Jacob sent me a text message saying, "She is near. Be cautious."

I put the phone back in my pocket quietly, and stayed as still as I could. Snow began to fall on top of me, but I made no move to shake it off. I felt like I was hunting, and in order to catch my prey I had to make as little movement as possible. I froze as if I were a statue, and listened for any sign of movement.

A few minutes went by, and nothing happened. She would be coming soon, the surroundings looked just like my vision.

My nose began to tingle as I picked up a scent that I haven't smelled in a long time. Bella was near; her scent was invading my senses.

A twig snapped, and I was able to tell that she wasn't very far from me at all. I wanted to jump up and hug her, but I made myself stay behind this tree. I wanted to turn around and look at her, but I had to wait just a few more minutes.

Just wait until she gets closer, then I can show myself. It won't be long before she catches my scent; even with the wind blowing against her.

I sat there, waiting for her to come just a little bit closer. Her scent was getting stronger, and I allowed myself to smile just a little. I felt relief that she wasn't dead. There was another chance for me to make up the time we lost, if she would let me that is.

I slowly began to move my head around the edge of the tree, and looked in the direction of Bella. I saw her sitting by the tombstone, just staring at it. She touched it gently, and looked up towards her old house.

I looked at the house as well to see what she was looking at. I hadn't noticed before, but a car had pulled up in the driveway, and an unfamiliar woman had stepped out.

That is when I realized that it wasn't Bella on the phone with Charlie, but whoever this woman was.

I watched along with Bella as Charlie came out of the house, gave the woman a hug, and kissed her on the cheek. She hugged him back, and together they went inside his house.

Charlie must have a girlfriend. He didn't know Bella was outside watching him. He didn't know she was still alive.

My eyes fell on Bella as I saw that she kept staring at the house. She wasn't moving; her hand was still placed on the tombstone. I felt sorry for her as I thought about how alone she must have been feeling. To have to pretend that she is dead, and stay away from her family must be hell.

I couldn't sit there and watch her any longer. She had been alone for too long, and she needed someone now. I sat up quietly as I could and moved closer towards Bella.

I'm sure that she must have caught onto my scent by now; I was standing right behind her.

"Bella" I said as quietly as I could.

She turned around, and stared at me. Her eyes were golden, just as mine.

"Alice" she whispered.

She looked surprised to see me. For a minute I thought she was going to hug me like nothing happened, but I was wrong. She sat up quickly, and started for the forest like she was going to run.

"Please don't run away Bella." I tried to step closer towards her to block her, but she wouldn't let me touch her. She moved away quickly, but wasn't running away yet.

"Why not? You ran away from me, and look what happened." She whispered, pointing to her tombstone.

The sound of her voice was heaven to me, even if she was angry.

"I had no idea that would happen. I can't even begin to say how sorry I am for what happened, but please let me talk to you."

"Alice, I waited for you to come back to me for so long. Couldn't you see what happened? Why should I believe you?" Bella walked further into the forest and I followed her.

"Just give me some time to explain Bella. You can't run away now." I said

"Watch me."

"Jacob is out there waiting for you to run. He won't let you get away. I will chase you too if I have to."

Bella stopped moving for a minute, trying to figure out if she really was cornered. I waited cautiously to see if she would move.

She turned around sharply, and stared daggers at me. "Is that how you found out about me? Did Jacob tell you what happened?"

"He only told me that he thought you might still be alive. I have been trying to find you."

Bella just stood there helplessly. "Why can't you just leave me alone? You were doing so well at it the past five years."

"You don't need to be alone anymore Bella. I am here for you now." I took a step closer, and this time she didn't move.

"I don't believe you." She replied. I didn't say anything else after that; I just looked at her.

She glanced around me and asked, "Are you the only one here?"

"Yes, I am." I moved in closer so that now we were face to face.

I could tell for sure that she was one of us. Her skin was like mine, and her eyes were as gold as they could be. The only thing new I noticed about her was that she had a scar going from her neck, down to her chest.

"What happened to you, Bella?" I whispered, trying to touch her scar.

She flinched away from me, and pulled her coat over her scar to try and hide it.

"You left." was Bella's answer.

I wanted to touch her, but she wouldn't let me. What was once so easy to do in the past is probably going to be one of the hardest things to gain back.

"Will you please let me back into your life?" I want it to be how it used to be." I told her.

"It could never be that way again. I'm not even alive anymore; I'm just like you." She wouldn't look me in the eyes.

"I've noticed that you still have good moral." I replied.

"What do you mean?" She asked, still not looking at me.

"Your eyes aren't red."

She didn't say anything back.

Charlie was coming out of his house, and he was headed this way. The woman he was with was right behind him.

"I need to go, Charlie is coming to look at my tombstone." Bella began walking further into the forest.

"I know he is, but I'm not going to let you leave." I followed her.

"I can't be seen Alice." She whispered, as she turned around to look at me.

"Then come to my house, we need to talk. No one will see us." I reached for her hand and grabbed it.

She wasn't warm to my touch anymore. She felt just like me.

"I'm not so cold anymore, am I?" I asked her.

In that instant, she pulled away.

She was stronger than me.

"I know the way." She told me, and we made our way toward my house.

* * *

**A/N: Just letting you know that Jasper and Alice are not in a relationship in this fic, they are only friends.**

**Thanks again for all the feedback, and alerts. I'm glad people are interested in my story. The inspiration for this story came from the song Who Wants To Live Forever by Queen. I was just listening to it one day, and the idea for this story came into my head. Take a listen if you're interested.**


	5. Chapter 5

I couldn't stop staring at Bella as we were headed toward my house. We ran together, although she was a little faster than me.

She slowed down when we approached my house, as did I.

"I don't plan on staying here, you know." She told me as I opened the door to my house. I let Bella walk in front of me, and closed the door behind us. I felt I needed to be as polite as I could.

"I know, but at least stay long enough to let me apologize properly." I told her.

She stopped in the living room, and looked around. "Nothing has changed."

I wasn't sure if it was okay for her to be reminded of us this way, but I couldn't think of any other place to take her. This is as good as it was going to get as far as hiding spots go.

I came up behind her, and touched her shoulder lightly. "Do you want to go up to my room?" I said quietly.

She turned her head, and looked at my hand on her shoulder, and shrugged it off. "Fine with me."

I led her up the stairs to my room, and she followed right behind me. I opened the door to my room, and led her inside. I didn't want to get on Bella's bad side even more, so I was cautious with everything I did around her.

She went over to the bed and sat down, waiting for me to follow her. I didn't realize that all the stuff I took from her house was still in my room. I left so quickly I didn't think to put them away.

"What were you doing in my room?" She asked, pointing out her journal that was lying on my bed.

"I had to search for clues. I was trying to find out where you were, I'm sorry I looked at your personal things."

I walked over and sat down on the bed next to her, trying to move her shirt I took before she could notice.

"You took my clothes too?" Bella pulled the shirt out of my hands. I pull my hands through my hair nervously. It's not impossible for me to be nervous.

I wanted to reach out and take it back, but I didn't move. "I only took that one. I missed the way you smelled, so I took it."

She looked at me, and I just stared back at her. I didn't know what else to say.

"You gave me this shirt." She said, now looking down in her lap at it. For a minute, it looked like she was happy. Her mind was focused on a happier time for the both of us.

"I know." I simply said.

She bit her lip, as if she were contemplating something, and then gently set her shirt back in my lap.

"You can keep it." She said coldly.

I looked down at the shirt, and then turned to her face and noticed she was looking down at her hands. "Bella, will you please look at me at least." I begged.

She slowly moved her eyes towards mine, and I smiled when we finally met.

"What do you want from me, Alice?" She asked me.

"I want you back in my life." I honestly replied.

"Why? I don't understand why all of a sudden you want to come back to me."

"It isn't all of a sudden; I never wanted to leave you in the first place."

She laughed bitterly, "Does Edward have that much control over you?" Her eyes narrowed.

I was silent for a minute, contemplating on what she said. Maybe Edward was controlling; expecting all of us to abandon Bella just like that. We did it though, all for Edward.

"Not anymore." I finally said.

"What does that mean?" She asked me.

"I haven't seen or spoken to Edward in a very long time. It was my choice to come find you; he had nothing to do with it. I couldn't let myself live forever knowing that you wouldn't be there with me. You mean so much to me Bella, and when I saw your tombstone I thought I had lost you forever." I tried to reach for her hand again, but I stopped myself. I pulled my hand back to my side, knowing that Bella would just pull away from me.

She noticed that I had pulled my hand back, and looked back up at my face. "How do you think I felt when you left me five years ago? I never heard anything from any of you, and I don't know what that means to you, but to me it means that you gave up on me. I wasn't a part of your life anymore, and it seemed so easy for you to just leave. I didn't even get to say bye to you. You just left me there, alone. Why now? Why did you just decide to come back now? You didn't have to leave me, Alice."

"I know I didn't Bella. I'm an idiot for listening to Edward. I wanted to stay with you, but I also wanted to respect my brother's wishes. I always wanted to come back to you."

"It took you this long to come find me? Didn't you see what was happening to me? Did you have visions of me at all? How could you sit there and watch how much I was suffering, and not do anything?" She moved closer towards me, keeping eye contact this time.

"I stopped having visions of you after we left." I said quietly, daring myself to hold eye contact.

She looked confused and asked, "Why?"

"It hurt me too much to think of you. I blocked it out for the longest time." I admitted.

"It hurt you to think of me? How do you think it felt for me, Alice? Everyday of my life I thought of you. I cried forever over you; I thought you would come back to me. I thought you out of the rest of your family would come back and save me, but you never came. Now look at me!" She raised her voice on her last sentence.

"Bella, I'm sorry. You know I didn't want this to happen to you; none of us did. This was the very reason Edward wanted to leave; so you wouldn't be like one of us." I attempted to move my hand on her shoulder to try and calm her down, ignoring the fact that she didn't want me to touch her. She allowed me to touch her this time.

"I'm a monster, just like you now." She whispered.

I didn't respond. I gave her time to calm down. I waited a minute, slowly gripped her shoulder, and pulled her closer to me. Bella allowed me to wrap my arms around her, and hug her.

I heard her inhale my scent, and I smiled.

This peaceful moment only lasted a moment, because my phone started to vibrate. Bella realized that I was too close, and immediately pulled away from me. She left herself be loved for one moment, and pulled away when she realized her walls were down.

I sighed, as I reached for the phone out of my pocket and saw that Jacob was calling.

"It's Jacob." I told Bella.

She just looked at me, as I answered the phone.

"Hello?" I said over the line. 

"Did you get her?" Jacobs voice boomed over the phone.

"Yes, she is with me now." I said as I looked at Bella.

"I need to see her. Where are you?" he asked me.

"I'm at my old house. Do you know where it is?" I couldn't keep Bella from him, not after all he has done to help me find her.

"Yes, I do. I will be there soon." He said, and then hung up the phone.

"Jacob wants to see you. He's coming now." I told Bella.

"I know, I heard." She sounded annoyed.

"Do you not want to see him? I could tell him to come back later if you'd like?" I offered.

"No, I'll talk to him now. He deserves to know I'm not dead." She got up off my bed, and I followed her downstairs.

There was a knock on my back door, and I went to go open it. I could see Jacob on the other side of the glass, so I let him in.

"Where is she?" He asked me when he walked inside.

"Right over there." I pointed to the living room. Bella had taken a seat on one of the couches.

"Bella?" He questioned as he walked over to her.

"Hi Jake." She said quietly.

"Oh my god. I can't believe that you're alive!" His voice grew as he went in to hug her. She hugged him back and laughed.

I felt jealous when I saw that she accepted his hug. Then again, he didn't leave her like I did.

"What happened to you, Bella?" He looked at her more closely, and noticed that she wasn't like she was the last time he saw her.

"I'm one of the cold ones now." She said, not sounding excited.

He sniffed her, and his face scrunched into one of disgust. "You are." He said.

"I've missed you, Bella." He continued, ignoring the fact that she wasn't human anymore.

"I've missed you too Jake. It's been a long time since I've seen you." She smiled.

I watched from afar as the two interacted with each other. I felt like I wasn't in the same room with them anymore.

"Why didn't you tell me, Bella?" He asked, getting right to the point.

"It was hard for me to tell anyone. I was afraid to be seen like this." She admitted.

"You could have trusted me Bella. I love you no matter what."

I looked at Jacob when he said that, and saw the look he had on his face. He was being sincere. I wondered if Bella loved him back.

"I'm sorry Jacob. I was scared of what you would think. I knew you hated vampires. I just thought it would be better if I just disappeared."

"It would have been different if you stayed with me. I wanted to be with you; it didn't matter if you had turned. It wasn't your fault." Jacob pulled Bella closer toward him.

"You knew I wasn't ready for a relationship. I couldn't handle it, Jake."

"What about now? I can have you now." He asked her. I could tell he was starting to get upset.

"I don't want to be in a relationship Jake. I only want to be your friend. Why do you have to bring this up now? Can't we just relax for a little while and not worry about relationships?" Bella asked calmly. She knew Jacob was getting upset too; I could tell by her body language.

"Why not? I love you!" Jacob shouted, moving even closer toward Bella.

"Jacob, I think you need to leave now." I said, opening the back door.

"Yes, please leave. Come back when you calm down." Bella said sternly.

"You're still hung up on her, aren't you?" Jacob asked, pointing to me.

"Leave now!" Bella now yelled at him. She pushed him, and he stepped backward.

I think he was surprised at her new strength, because he stopped shouting after that.

"Fine, I'll leave, but I'm not giving up on you. I'll be back later." Jacob turned and walked out of the door, not looking at me.

"I'm sorry that happened Bella." I told her, wondering what Jacob meant when he said that.

"Don't worry; I got used to it a long time ago." Bella replied coldly.


	6. Chapter 6

"I need to be alone for a while." Bella told me after Jacob had left.

"I understand. Would you like to go up to my room?" I offered.

"I don't want to be here anymore; it's making me sick to be here." Bella said from her position on the couch.

"Will you stay for a little while longer? I just got you back; I don't want you to leave me just yet." I asked, keeping my distance from her.

She was silent for a moment, looking around the living room with a sour look on her face. "I'll stay for a while, but I eventually need to get back to my apartment." She told me.

"You have an apartment?" I asked, surprised.

"Yeah. Did you think I lived in the forest like a magical fairy this whole time?" She asked me sarcastically.

I couldn't help but smile, "No, I'm the pixie here. I'm just surprised, you grew up fast."

"Well, I kind of had to." She stood up from her spot on the couch, and walked towards my stairs.

I kept my position by my back door.

"I'm going to take you up on that offer. I'll be in your room." She told me.

"Okay, I'm going to go hunting. I haven't been in a few days."

"I know." She said, as she began walking up the stairs.

"Please don't leave me. I'm going to trust you." I told Bella as I opened my door to leave.

She didn't say anything.

I closed my back door, and hoped for the best. I needed to make this a quick hunt.

One hour later

I had finished my hunting trip, and my eyes had returned to their normal shade of gold. I was trying to hurry back to my house, when my phone started to vibrate again. I stopped, and looked at my phone to see that Jasper was calling.

I forgot to tell Jasper the good news.

I picked up the phone and said, "Hello?"

"Alice, do you have any news?" Jasper asked me.

"Yes, I do. She is alive."

"Alive as in human or…"

"She is one of us." I cut to the chase.

Jasper was quiet for a minute; probably realizing that we made a big mistake by leaving.

"How does she feel about that?" He finally asked.

"I'm not sure; she is very bitter. She is very upset with all of us."

"I don't blame her. Seems like us leaving didn't help her at all." Jasper said.

"No, it didn't." I simply replied.

"I have something else to tell you." Jasper changed the subject.

"What is it?" I asked, not liking what he might say.

"Edward called us."

"Why?" I asked. He couldn't have known about Bella.

"I told the family about what you had found, and I suppose Rosalie found a way to get in touch with him. It wasn't long before Edward started calling us."

"Great, just what I need." I should have seen this coming.

"He is coming back to us. He told us that he missed the family, and was also wondering where you were." Jasper explained.

"What did you tell him?" I asked.

"I told him that you were the one who found her tombstone, and that I knew nothing more."

I was silent.

"Do you want me to tell him about Bella being alive?" Jasper questioned.

"Not now…just give me a little more time to be with her. Seeing Edward is the last thing she needs right now." I said.

"Okay, but I can't lie to him forever. When he gets here, you know he is going to want to see the tombstone."

"I know, but hold him off for as long as you can, please?" I asked him.

"I will do my best Alice."

"Thank you Jasper. I'll talk to you later."

"Are you going to tell Bella about Edward?" He asked.

"I don't know right now." I replied truthfully.

"Bye Alice, I'll try to let you know when Edward comes."

"Okay, thank you. Bye Jasper." I told him, and then ended the call.

This is great, right when I find Bella; Edward has to appear out of nowhere. I should have kept my mouth shut. I should be selfish, and keep her for me, but I can't do that. I want Bella to live her own life, and whatever happens, and whomever she chooses to be with, if anyone, is entirely her choice.

I started walking again, and finally ended up at my back door again. I hoped that Bella was still in the house.

I opened my door, and stepped inside. I smelled the air to see if I could catch her scent, and I found that she was still here. I decided to go check on her to see if she was feeling any better from earlier.

When I approached my room, I saw that the door was shut. I knocked on it lightly, and when I didn't get a response I opened the door.

I slowly shut the door behind me, and when I looked up I saw that Bella was lying on my bed beneath the sheets. When I approached her; I saw that her eyes were shut as if she were sleeping.

She had taken her jacket off, so now I was able to see how long her scar really was. It trailed down past her shirt, down her chest. I really wanted to know what happened to Bella, because whoever gave her this scar was going to pay.

"Bella?" I called out her name quietly.

She opened her eyes, and stared at me. She was never asleep, how could she be?

"What were you doing?" I asked.

"I wanted to know what it was like to dream again." She said.

I smiled and asked, "You remember that?"

"I remember a lot of things Alice." She sat up from her position, and realized that her scar was showing. She moved the blankets over her body to try and hide it.

"Are you going to tell me what happened to you?" I asked.

She was silent. Her eyes looked away from me, almost like she was ashamed to tell me what happened.

"Not right now, okay?" She asked quietly, finally turning to look in my direction.

"Of course. I have some news that you may not like." I changed the subject.

"What?" She sounded annoyed. The peaceful moment she had in my bed was gone.

"I spoke with Jasper, and he said that Edward was coming back. He knows about your tombstone, so he will most likely be stopping by here."

"I really need to leave now." And with that Bella got up out of my bed, put on her jacket, and began walking out my door.

"Wait! Please, where are you going?" I asked her, getting up to follow her.

"I'm going back to my apartment. I don't want to see Edward ever again; I can't see him." She told me as she ran down the stairs.

"What about me? I don't want you to leave me." I said, desperately. I couldn't let her go, not after having a second chance with her.

She turned around when she reached the bottom of the stairs, and looked at me. I was holding on the railing, ready to run after her if she ran.

I needed her in my life, and I would never let her go again.

"Come with me." Bella said, and with that I ran down the stairs towards her. I didn't look back.

Together we ran through the forest, passing the boundary line, going deeper inside. It was now dark outside, the sky had cleared and the moon was shining brightly upon us. I doubt that anyone would see us.

My skin was shining brightly, and when I looked at Bella I noticed her skin was doing the same.

"Where do you live?" I asked as we ran.

"I live close to Seattle, but not in the city. I made sure to stay close enough to the forest." She told me.

I was silent the rest of the way, deciding to save my question for when we actually get there. At the rate we were going, it wouldn't be long before we arrived.

After a while Bella began to slow down, and I followed her move.

"We are near; it's time to start walking." She told me.

I agreed, and walked along with her. The trees became scare, and concrete appeared before us. We were outside Seattle, looked like somewhere in the suburbs. Bella led the way as we approached a sidewalk, and began walking down a few blocks.

A few people stopped what they were doing to stare at us, but I was used to that by now. Our skin wasn't shining too much for them to notice that we were different. I wonder if Bella noticed that they looked at her; I wonder if she knew any of these people.

Bella led me to a small, but luxury apartment complex. She reached for a set of keys buried in her pocket, and approached the main door. Once she opened the door, she led me inside.

"I live on the second floor." She told me as we walked into the elevator.

"Do you have a nice view?" I asked, as she pressed the button for the second floor.

"It's pretty good." She told me as the door opened to the second floor.

I smiled, and followed her down a hallway of doors. She stopped at the last door of the hallway, and reached for her keys again. The door opened and Bella led me inside.

As I entered the room my nose was hit with a wave of Bella's scent. All of the furniture was leather, and she had a very expensive entertainment center placed against the wall. The kitchen had all stainless steel appliances; though I doubt she used them much. Fine art was placed against the walls, and then I turned my attention toward the balcony. I led myself outside to the balcony, and was able to see part of the forest that we had just come from.

"Do you like my place?" Bella asked as she came up from behind me.

I turned to face her and replied, "Yes, it's a beautiful forest. I wouldn't mind living here myself."

Bella just smiled, and enjoyed the view with me.

"Do you know anyone here?" I asked her after a while.

"No, I tend to keep to myself." She replied.

"Did you notice that those people were staring at us when we were walking over here?"

"Yes, I did. I just ignore it; it's embarrassing."

"They're just admiring your beauty." I said.

Bella was silent for a minute. She looked out into the forest and replied, "It's best if I stay away from humans. I don't want to end up hurting someone."

"I know how you feel, but sometimes a person catches your eye and you just can't give up on them. Before you know it; you're their best friend." I said as I stared at her.

"What was it about me that caught your eye?" She asked me, curious.

I smiled and replied, "Your beauty and scent was what attracted me in the first place, but then I got to know you. You are the most caring human being I've ever come across. You do everything you can for the people you love, and that's a very hard thing to do for most people. You're a hard person to try and give up, and that's why I'm here now. You mean too much to me to give up, I love you." I told her truthfully.

Bella turned her head slowly, and looked at me. "Do you really love me?" Her eyes narrowed, as if she didn't believe me.

"Yes, I do." I whispered.


	7. Chapter 7

"I don't believe you." Bella told me with a hint of anger in her voice. She scowled at me from her position on the balcony, but I backed up what I said.

"But I do love you. I've loved you like family for the longest time." I tried to play my love for her off as more sisterly, than romantically. I could tell she wasn't ready for me to unload my true feelings on her; especially after having that episode with Jacob earlier today. So, I told her I loved her, but didn't reveal that I was in love with her. I was afraid to make any kind of move with Bella. I just got her back; I wasn't going to try to make out with her the first chance I get. Slow and steady is how I planned on going about it.

"How can a person that supposedly loves me, leave me? I don't understand that concept." Bella continued to glare at me, waiting for me to respond. She crossed her arms tightly around her chest, as I tried my best to come up with something to say.

"I know you don't understand, but Edward thought it was the best thing to do at the time. I don't expect you to understand why we left you; after our plan to keep you safe didn't even work. I'm here now though, does that mean anything to you?" I asked, wondering if Bella would always be bitter toward me. I wanted her to believe me; I wanted it to be easy with her like it used to. I didn't want to admit it, but I was starting to feel like she didn't want me around.

Bella was silent. I waited for an answer from her, but I realized that I wasn't going to get one. I gripped the railing on the balcony, and stared off into the forest. I felt ashamed of myself for some reason, like I don't have a right to even be here with Bella. I should have left her alone, because I think she might even hate me.

"Do you want me back in your life?" I finally asked, quietly. I needed to know if there was any hope for us to have a relationship, whether it is just friends or something more. I would be there for her, but only if she wanted me.

"Why are you trying to make me the bad guy here? I didn't do anything wrong." Bella asked.

"You're not the bad guy. I just want to know if you want me here or not. I will respect you and leave if you don't want me around. I can understand why you wouldn't want to be around me; I hurt you too much." I stepped back inside of Bella's apartment, and she followed me.

Bella closed the door behind her, and turned around to face me. I was prepared to walk out the door if she didn't want me around. I just needed to hear her answer.

Bella hesitated, like she was unsure of what to say. Her arms dropped to her sides after a few minutes, and she finally replied, "No, I don't want you to go."

"Thank you." I told her as I sat down on her sofa. I was relieved to hear her answer. I would have left if she wanted me to, but it would hurt like hell to leave her again.

Bella followed me, and sat down next to me. "I can't help but be angry sometimes. I've missed you, but it's really hard for me to forgive you." She struggled to look me in the eye.

"It's okay to be angry with me, I would be surprised if you weren't. In time I hope it will get better for us." I told her, trying to sound as sincere as I could be.

"I hope so too." She said quietly. Bella reached for the remote, and turned on the television.

I watched quietly as she flipped through the channels. I began to wonder how Bella could get such a nice place; it didn't seem like she had any form of work. I think it was time that I started getting answers from her. I will start off with the simple answers first, and eventually I hope we will be able to discuss the more important ones. If we were going to try and fix our relationship, then I needed to know the truth.

"So how did you get an apartment like this?" I asked, while she continued flipping through channels.

She smiled and looked at me. "I was wondering when you were going to ask that question."

"Are you going to tell me?"

"You won't like it." She told me, looking down at her hands.

"Will you tell me though? I'm not going to get upset with you if that's what you're worried about." I told her, honestly.

She hesitated, but eventually began to speak. "Well, at first I had no idea what to do. I started out just living in the outskirts of the forest. I was scared, so I did something that you might not think was so good. In order to make some kind of money, I had to steal."

"Steal?" I raised my eyebrows.

"Yes, I'm not proud of it, but I didn't know what else to do. I was alone, and I hadn't even finished high school. I couldn't be around people because I was a newborn, so I waited until the shops were closed, late at night, and I took money from them."

"I'm shocked. You took other peoples money, and bought an apartment like this?" I asked, thinking that Bella wasn't such a good girl after all. I kept my voice calm and low; I was going to play the blame game. I'm sure she wouldn't have done it if we hadn't left her in the first place.

"Now don't jump to conclusions, you didn't let me finish. I'm not taking other peoples money to pay for this apartment; I just needed some money to get started. I finally found a job after I got on my own. I don't steal anymore." She explained to me with a guilty look on her face.

"That's good. You had me worried that you turned into a full blown criminal." I told her.

"I did what I had to do. I didn't have any help; I was lost. I didn't know what else I could do." She told me, trying to defend herself.

"It's okay, I can understand why you would feel helpless. I was in that situation once before." I said, remembering what it was like when I was a newborn.

"At least you had some kind of guidance with your power. I had nothing like that, and I had nowhere to go." Bella stated.

I just nodded my head in agreement. I didn't want to make her upset right now.

"So, what is your job now?" I asked in order to try and chance the subject.

"I managed to become a writer. I write articles for the local paper. The good thing about that is I can work from home, and I have direct deposit in the bank. No one knows who I really am." She told me, sounding proud of herself.

"That's impressive. They must pay you pretty well for you to be living in a place like this." I smiled.

"I'm not complaining." She smiled back, and it was beautiful. This was the kind of conversations I wanted to have with her. It was nice to have a decent conversation with her, instead of one filled with hate.

"You know you don't have to be afraid of people. It's okay to interact with them." I said, feeling worried that she was excluding herself from any social activity.

"I prefer to be by myself. You know I've always been an introvert." Bella explained, trying to shrug it off.

"This is more than introversion. You can't be afraid to put yourself around humans. I'm sure you're capable of maintaining your appetite."

"It's hard for me Alice. You don't know how many times my hunger has tried to take over my mind. I can't be around people." Bella was becoming upset again, but she did need to put herself out in public.

"Is this all because of your hunger, or is there something else that's keeping you from socializing?" I asked, concerned.

"I can't handle any type of relationship well. After you guys left; it's like something inside of me broke, and I'm unable to be happy anymore. I have always been a loner, but it has become ten times worse. I'm afraid to be around anyone for the sake of being hurt, and my hunger helps keep me away." Her face was filled with sadness; she was still avoiding my gaze. I moved a little closer to her on the sofa, but not enough to make her uncomfortable.

Bella was slowly opening up to me; it would only be a matter of time before she told me the whole story. I will let her decide on her own when that would be; I didn't want to push her into anything.

"I'm sorry for that Bella. I didn't want things to happen this way." I was beginning to feel like a record player; I've been saying sorry a lot these past few days.

"I didn't want that either. You were the only one who I truly opened up to, and it was nice to have a friend like you. I felt like I wasn't such a waste when we were friends. Now, I feel like it's worthless to try and even talk to anyone. I thought you guys would never leave me, but you did. My love for someone can't even make a person stay with me. It's funny how I thought my future would be totally different than it is now. I wanted so many things, but they were all taken away from me." Bella said as she stared that the TV.

I moved even closer to Bella, and placed my hand on her thigh. "You know I would do anything to take back what happened to you. You were never a waste, and you never will be. I may have left you once, and that is my biggest regret in life. My love has brought me back to you; so don't think for one more second that you mean nothing. You mean the world to me, and I will always be your friend." I whispered, moving my head against her shoulder.

I let my head linger against for a while, smelling her scent and just testing to see how long she would let me stay next to her. She turned her head to face me, and ended up looking me right in the eyes. I smiled when I saw her eyes. "I will always be here for you." I tried to reassure her.

We were only inches from each other, and I couldn't take my eyes off of her. I closed my eyes, and took in her scent even more. I was becoming obsessed with her scent; it brought me in closer towards her face.

I opened my eyes to see Bella lick her lips, like she was getting ready to kiss me. My eyes quickly went back up to her eyes, and for a second I saw a look of desire. I waited patiently to see what would happen. I would not make the first move.

"I need to do some work." Bella said quickly, getting off the sofa. I blinked a few times, and then turned my attention to Bella, who was now well across the room from me.

I stayed at my position on the sofa and quietly said, "Okay"

"You can watch TV if you want, there's some containers of blood in the fridge if you need any. I'm going to go into my room so I can get some work done." I watched her play with her hands nervously as she spoke to me, then she turned quickly from me and walked to her room and shut the door.

I was still sitting on the sofa, wondering what in the world had just happened to me. I was sure that she wanted to kiss me. The look she had in her eyes told me so. I couldn't help but smile to myself; maybe she actually had feelings for me. Underneath all the bitterness was the Bella that I still loved, and I am going to try my best to get her back.

I moved my head towards the television, and reached for the remote control. I needed to get Bella off of my mind before I made myself go in her room and finish what we almost started. I really wanted to go in there, but I wasn't going to make anything happen unless Bella wanted it.

I began watching TV, when I felt a vision coming. My eyes went black, and I began to see myself standing by Bella's front door.

I was standing by the door, looking out of the peephole. Bella came walking up behind me, and asked me, "Who is it?"

I saw myself turn around and look at Bella. I didn't look happy at all.

"Open the door Bella. I know you're in there." The voice said from the other side of the door.

"Oh no, not him." Bella said with a look of fear on her face.

"It's okay Bella. Nothing bad is going to happen. I'm on your side, so don't be afraid." I told her as I was holding onto her shoulders.

"Okay, I trust you." She told me.

I saw myself reach for the door handle, and turn the knob. I looked at Bella once more, and saw her nod her head. I opened the door to find Edward standing there, smiling at Bella.

My vision ended quickly, and I was back staring at Bella's television.

I put my head in my hands, obviously annoyed with my vision. How could he know where we were?

The next thing I wondered is if I should tell Bella what is going to happen, or if I should just keep it to myself. It would be wrong of me to not tell her, but I know it would make her mad.

I had made progress with Bella, and I believe that is because it was just the two of us. We didn't have any distractions like Jacob or Edward, and it looks like now I have to deal with the both of them trying to get after Bella.

I wasn't sure how much time I had left to be alone with Bella, but I hope we can at least mend our relationship before I get pushed out of the way.

They have both had their chance with Bella already; it was time for me to make my move. I wasn't going to let anyone get in the way; it's my turn now.

I spent the rest of the night staring at the TV, wondering how I was going to make Bella mine without pushing myself on her. I would have to seduce her.

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**A/N: Answers are being revealed slowly. I don't want to rush anything, but I also don't want to make things boring. I'll try my best to make it interesting. Thanks to all who've found an interest in the story.**


	8. Chapter 8

I spent the next couple of days planning on how I was going to make Bella want me. I still had no clue on exactly how I was going to do it, but I thought buying some revealing outfits might bring out the beast in her. As pathetic as that sounds, I really did need to go shopping. I spent the last couple of days in the same outfit, so I really needed something new to wear.

Bella kept claiming that she had to get work done, so every time I tried getting close to her, she would run to her room. I wasn't going to push her into anything, so I let her do what she wanted. I told her I was going shopping for a while, but there was something I wanted to talk about with her when I got back to her apartment. I wanted to tell her about my vision of Edward. I was planning to call Jasper while I was out to see what was going on, and possibly see how much time I had left alone with Bella.

She agreed to talk to me when I got back, and I went on my merry way. I offered for her to come along, but being the typical Bella, she declined. I couldn't force her to go on any more shopping trips with me, so my plan to try on sexy clothes in front of her wouldn't work. In the end, Bella would have to actually love me for any of my plans to work, and I'm hoping that I was right on that. I haven't had any visions of anything happening between us, so I was going completely on instinct here.

I had a relaxing shopping trip; I bought at least seven new outfits. I was looking forward to showing Bella my new clothes; maybe she would like to borrow some. I knew that was a far-fetched idea, but I could always hope.

Once I was done shopping at the local mall, I began to walk back to Bella's apartment. I reached for my phone, and dialed Jaspers number. I was lucky that Bella had a phone charger for me; otherwise my phone would have been dead a long time ago.

The phone rang once, and Jasper picked up. "Hi Alice." He said quietly.

"Hey, I just wanted to see how things are going with the family." I said quietly, walking at a fast pace so I could get back to the apartment quicker.

"Things are well. Edward came back yesterday, and all he has been talking about is wanting to go see Bella's grave." He told me.

"Of course. I'm not at our old house anymore, I went with Bella to her apartment."

"She has an apartment? He asked me, surprised.

"Yes, she does. She hasn't lived in the forest all this time. It's surprising to know that she has grown up on her own. She seems to have taken the change well; she knows how to handle herself." I said smiling.

"Seems like she does. Does she have a job?" Jasper asked.

"Yes, she is a writer for the local paper. I'm proud of her."

"You sound proud. Are you planning on coming back to us anytime soon?" He changed the subject.

"I don't know to be honest. I want to stay with Bella, but I don't think she is ready to see you guys, especially if Edward is there."

"You don't have to worry about Edward being here long. He told us he just came by for a visit. He wants to see her tombstone, and then he is going off to wherever he wants to be."

"I am aware he is coming, I've seen him in a vision. The bad thing about the vision is, that he comes to Bella's apartment. Somehow he is going to find out that she is alive, and where she is." I told him, sounding a little worried.

"You can't keep it from him forever. She was the love of his life." Jasper explained to me.

"You're right on one thing, I can't keep it a secret forever, but I am certain that she doesn't love him anymore. I don't think that she would go back to him anyway; at least I hope she doesn't."

"If she can forgive you, then I think that she can forgive him." Jasper told me. I didn't see why he would be wrong about that; we all left her behind.

"Maybe you're right, but I have to try for myself. It's selfish, but I love her too. I never wanted to give up on her." I told him as I approached Bella's apartment building.

"We all know that you didn't, maybe Bella knows that too. Whatever happens, I hope that you and Edward can still have a relationship after this." He told me.

"I hope so too. How is he doing after finding out about her death?" I asked, curious if he even cared.

"He seemed pretty upset with himself. I think he wants to find out what happened to her, so I'm not sure if he is sticking around for a long time or not."

"Well, I can't stop him from looking. I can only look forward to the time I have with her now, before he comes and ruins it. Hopefully I can make a difference for her."

"I'm sure you already have." Jasper told me quietly.

"Thanks, I need to let you go now. I'm back at Bella's place." I told him when I reached Bella's door.

"Okay Alice, I hope everything works out for you." Jasper told me.

"Thanks, Bye Jasper."

"Bye Alice."

I knocked on Bella's door, and waited for her to answer. I slipped the phone back in my pocket when she slowly opened the door for me.

"Hey, how is work going?" I smiled.

"It's going well. I just finished my article for the week and sent if off to the paper." She smiled back, and held the door open for me.

I stepped inside, and walked over to the sofa with my bags. "Can I talk to you about something?" I asked her.

She shut the door, locked it, and slowly walked over toward me. She took a seat next to me and asked, "What is it?" sounding annoyed.

I raised my eyebrows curiously, "Why do you sound so annoyed when you don't know what it is that I'm going to tell you?"

"I know it's not going to be good, I can tell by the way you asked me." She ran her hand through her hair.

"Well you're right. I had another vision, and this time Edward came to your apartment to see you." I told her quickly.

"Damn, I can't get away from him, can I?" She scowled, looking off towards the television.

"I'm sorry, maybe it's because I am here with you. Although, I don't know how he would find out where you live." I said to her.

"It's possible that he spoke to Jacob, just like you spoke to him. Jacob could have tracked our scent here." She explained.

"You've been thinking about this a lot, haven't you?" I asked, surprised.

"It's come to my attention that this might happen. I guess whenever he comes then I'll have to talk to him. I am not leaving my apartment or job just because he is coming; I've worked too hard to gain all this. I'm not changing my life for him; he never changed my life for us."

"That's good. I'm glad that you're going to stay here." I told her honestly.

"Do you know when he is coming?" She asked me.

"No, but I spoke to Jasper and he said that he was planning to come look at your tombstone soon, so you have a couple of days before he gets here I would guess." I explained.

She nodded her head, and then asked me, "How is everyone else in your family? Are they all doing okay?"

"Yes, everyone is exactly the same. The only one that left was Edward."

She nodded her head again, but was quiet afterward.

"What about your family Bella? Do you know anything about them anymore?" I asked, taking the opportunity to get more answers from her.

It took her awhile, but she tilted her head slowly toward me, and smiled bitterly. "No, I don't know them anymore. They think I'm dead."

I didn't know how to react at first; Bella had said it so blunt. "I thought Charlie might have known you were alive for a while." I said after a while.

"No, he thinks I am dead. Nobody knows about me except you, Jake, and whoever you have told."

"Do you know who that woman was with Charlie?" I asked, allowing myself to move closer toward her. I moved my arm across her lower waist, and had her in a loose embrace.

"Yes, I know who she is. She is Charlie's girlfriend, and her name is Claire." She looked at my arm wrapped around her, and then looked me in the eyes. Bella didn't make me move this time.

"Did you ever meet her while you were still alive?"

"I did a couple of times. They had been going out a few months before I disappeared. Charlie had found a new love interest, and all of his time started going to her. She is very nice though, and I'm glad that he has her now. I wouldn't want him to be alone; especially after what happened with me." Bella explained with a grim expression on her face.

"Yes, that is a good thing that he has her now. I didn't know how Charlie would be if he didn't have anyone around after you disappeared."

"I don't want to think about it. I'm hoping their relationship is going well, every time I go to watch Charlie, I'm always afraid to get close. I don't want them to see me, so I just stay hidden."

"What about your mother?" I asked, curious if she even got to see her again.

"The last time I saw my mom is when she came for my memorial service. I can't go to Florida and spy on her; there's too much sun. So, I don't think I will see her again, unless she comes to visit my tombstone sometime." Bella said quietly. I felt sorry that she wasn't able to see her mother again.

"I'm sorry for that Bella. I wish you were able to see your mother again." I whispered, moving my other hand to touch her own. I didn't want to bring up bad memories for her, but I was glad that she told me the truth.

I gently laid my hand upon hers, and she started breathing heavily. She was in pain; I could tell she wanted to cry, but there were no tears to ease the pain. I felt bad for making her feel this way.

"I never got used to this sobbing thing. I'm used to tears." She said in-between her heavy breathing.

My arm that was behind her back began going back and forth trying to comfort her the best I could.

I chose not to say anything, because I didn't really know how she felt. I didn't loose a loving mother or father, but she had.

"I know it must be hard not to go see your parents, but at least they have a significant other to help them cope with your loss. You're so young; it's understandable that you would still need your parents. You shouldn't have been taken away from them like this."

Bella's breathing was becoming calmer as she gripped my hand tighter. She was calming down slowly.

"I've been so alone, Alice." She whispered so low; it was hard for me to even hear her.

I pulled her into a hug as tight as I could, I would not let her go if she protested. However, Bella did not protest, she wrapped her arms around me and held me tight.

"You don't have to be alone anymore Bella. I'm here for you, and I promise I will not let you go ever again." I let a sob escape my mouth, but continued to hold on tight. It felt good to hug Bella as much as I could, I didn't have to be so delicate with her anymore.

"Thank you, Alice." She said quietly as she removed herself from our embrace. I allowed her to let go; at least I got to hold her for a while.

I calmed down, and so did she. We sat in silence for a few minutes, before I looked over toward my shopping bags.

I wanted to lighten the mood, so I said, "Do you want to see what I bought at the store?"

She smiled shyly, nodded her head, and said, "Okay."

I reached down for my shopping bags, and began pulling out the outfits. I showed each one of them to her, and she seemed to like them.

"Would you like to try on any of these?" I asked, holding them out to her.

"No, that's alright." She glanced at me, looking worried.

"I don't think I can force you to try on these clothes like I used to, so don't worry I'm not going to try anything." I told her with a smile. The mood had lightened, and I felt that Bella needed a little fun.

She smiled back at me, and responded, "That's a relief. As cute as your clothes are, I don't really feel like playing dress up."

I felt a little bold, and decided to ask her, "What kind of panties do you wear?" with a smile on my face.

"Excuse me?" She asked with a look of surprise.

"I asked what kind of panties you wear. I bought a few pair of panties at Victoria's Secret, and thought that maybe you would like to have a couple." I reached for the tiny Victoria's Secret bag, and dumped the panties on top of her lap.

Bella's eyebrows rose, and she looked at me with a funny expression. "Are you serious?"

"I've never been more serious. I think this would look good on you." I picked up a pair of red lace panties, and showed them to her.

"Alice, this is embarrassing." She smiled as she pushed the panties back toward me. All signs of sadness were wiped away from her face, replaced by ones of joy and amusement.

"I only offered if you wanted some. I have enough to give away. You don't need to be embarrassed about anything, we're both girls here." I kept picking up the panties and waving them in her face.

Bella hesitated for a moment, unsure of what to say. Then quietly she asked me, "Can I have the black one?"

I was surprised that she actually asked me, but I picked up the pair and held them out for her.

She slowly reached to take them out of my hand, but when she got close, I pulled them back away. "My Bella, you have such a naughty taste in panties." I teased her.

She gasped, and told me to "Shut up." Bella reached for the panties again, and I pulled them back even further. She didn't want to give up; she pinned me to the bottom of the sofa, and pried the panties out of my hand.

I didn't fight back; I just stared at her as she took the panties away from me.

"Thank you Alice for buying these naughty panties for me." She waved the panties happily in my face as she sat on top of me.

"Why don't you try them on?" I asked from my position on the sofa.

She looked at me with a humorous expression, "Not in front of you."

I smiled back, liking that she was having fun, I continued, "Damn, that's not fair."

"That's life." She continued to stay on top of me, keeping me pinned to the sofa.

"You mean I go out and buy you something nice, and I can't even see what it looks like on you? I would have shown you if you got them for me." I pouted.

"Poor Alice. Guess you'll have to use your imagination." She teased me.

I shrugged my shoulders, and tried to sit back up on the sofa. When I moved back up, Bella pushed me back down. I tried to get back up once more, but Bella put me right back where I was.

"Are you not going to let me get up?" I asked with a smile on my face.

She looked at me with the same look of desire I saw in her eyes the other day, and said, "No, I like seeing you squirm from beneath me."

I was surprised from her comment, I wasn't expecting her to continue flirting with me like this, but I wasn't going to stop now.

"It's fun to be the dominant one, isn't it?" I said quietly, looking her up and down.

"Definitely" was all she said.

In a heated moment, I had a strong urge to touch her. I wanted to feel her body, so I placed my hands upon her.

I moved my hands to her hips, and I slowly moved my hands up her body. Bella's eyes closed, and her head tilted back as my hands went further up her body. I had reached the bottom of her shirt, and my thumbs played with the hem of the shirt. I moved her shirt slowly up, and put my hands underneath her shirt. I lightly grazed her skin with my nails, and see seemed to respond well to that. My fingers inched slowly upward, toward the bottom of her breast.

I looked up at her face to see if she was enjoying what I was doing, and she had a smile on her face, but her eyes were still closed. I took that as a sign of pleasure, so I began to move my hand even further up her stomach. I had grazed the bottom of her bra, when I was interrupted by a loud knock on Bella's door.

This seemed to snap Bella out of her trace, as she looked at me with a worried expression. I removed my hand from underneath her shirt, feeling defeated as she got off from sitting on me.

I sat up with a sour face, and wondered who could be at the door. Whoever it was, I felt like killing them for the interruption.

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**A/N: The longest chapter yet. Sorry if it seems like a cliffhanger, but if I didn't stop there I would keep going and going. Hope you enjoy.**


	9. Chapter 9

Bella looked at me with worried eyes and said, "I'm sorry."

I got up off the couch and followed her to the door. I wanted to see who exactly had to ruin our moment.

Bella looked out of the peephole, and sighed in relief. "It's only my landlord. He just came to collect the rent." She told me.

I groaned in frustration, as Bella opened the door to greet the man.

"Hello, Ms. Swan. I'm here for the rent." He said politely.

"Of course Mr. Portman, I'll get that for you now." Bella smiled, and walked over to her purse to get the money.

Bella had left the door open, and I glared at the guy. He looked a little surprised to see me, and said, "Hello, who might you be? I've never seen anyone come visit Ms. Swan." His eyes lingered over to the sofa where all of the panties were thrown across it.

"I'm Alice. I haven't seen Ms. Swan in a very long time. We were getting along quite well until you knocked on the door." I said, not caring what his reaction would be.

"I'm sorry?" He questioned, sounding nervous. He took a step away from the door, as I came closer to him.

"Well, you interrupted a very intimate moment between us. I had my hand halfway up her shirt, and maybe I would have gotten further, but you then you had to come to the door." I tried to remain as calm as I could, but I couldn't help but feel frustrated at the moment.

The man's face had turned red as Bella came back to the door with the money. "I'm sorry Mr. Portman, my friend is just a little grumpy at the moment. Please forgive her." She turned her head to glare at me.

"No need to apologize, I should be the one who is sorry. Maybe I should just call next time to see if it's okay to come." He took the money from Bella, and slowly backed away from the door.

My glare did not cease as I said, "Maybe you should."

Bella closed the door quickly, and locked it. "Why did you have to do that, Alice?" Bella questioned, sounding embarrassed.

"I'm sorry, but I thought we were having fun. I didn't want any interruptions. Weren't you having fun?" I asked.

"I think we should talk about what just happened." She told me, as she went to the sofa to collect all the clothes.

I walked over to help her, and asked, "Okay, what do you want to talk about?"

"Why don't you come to my room, and help me put up all of these clothes. I don't have a spare bedroom, so you'll have to keep your clothes in my closet. We can talk more in there."

I smiled, liking the sound of going into her bedroom. I hadn't seen it the entire time I was there, so I said, "Sure, that sounds good."

We finished gathering the clothes, and then I followed her to the bedroom. She opened the door, and led my to her closet. I noticed that her bed wasn't made; the deep red satin sheets were spread all across the place. She had a large desk in the corner of the room, filled with papers and books. A state of the art computer sat on top of her desk, with the screensaver bouncing around the screen.

When she opened the door to the closet, it felt like I was walking into another bedroom. I think the closet was even bigger than the one I had back at my house.

"Bella, I'm surprised. I wasn't expecting you to have a closet like this." I looked around, and noticed that a small section of the closet was actually used. Bella had a few clothes hanging, and a couple pairs of shoes were placed at the bottom.

"It came with the apartment. I don't use it that much." Bella said as she started hanging my clothes up.

I began to help her hang my clothes when I said, "I can see that you don't. Guess I'm going to have to fill the closet for you."

"You are so obsessed with clothes. I never understood that about you." She smiled.

"I'm sorry I want to look good. I have to keep up with the latest fashions."

"It's so material though. I would be happy with just a t-shirt and jeans."

"I know you would, but I'm not going to give up on you. You would look so gorgeous in these clothes." I held up one of the outfits to her, and she smiled and pushed it away.

"Don't you think I look gorgeous already? It's not the clothes that count, but the person under the clothes." She said

"Of course I think you're gorgeous. I wouldn't mind to see what you look like underneath the clothes." I mumbled the last part.

"I'm sorry, but what was the last part you said?" She asked me, but I'm sure she heard me.

"You heard me." I said quietly, looking into her eyes.

Bella didn't reply; she just looked at me.

I finished hanging up my clothes, and all that was left were the panties.

"Where can I put these?" I asked, showing her the panties. She slowly looked down to see what I was asking about, and then pointed to the drawer by the door.

I looked at her for a minute, and walked slowly past her to the drawer. I opened the drawer to find that Bella had already had a few sexy pair of panties. I smiled as I placed the ones I bought next to hers, and shut the drawer.

I turned to face Bella again, only to find her standing in the same place, not moving. I reached out, touched her on the shoulder and asked, "Are you alright?"

She snapped out of her daze, and looked at me. "We really need to talk. I'm getting a lot of mixed signals from you and I want to make sure I'm not acting like an idiot here."

"I don't think of you as an idiot. What do you want to talk about?" I asked her.

Bella motioned for me to follow her. She walked to her bed, pushed the sheets out of the way and sat down. I smiled, and sat down beside her.

"What just happened with us?" She asked me, looking in my eyes.

"What do you mean?" I questioned.

"The way you were touching me in the living room. That's not just a friendly touch." She told me, looking nervous.

"No it wasn't. Should I have not done that? I don't want to touch you if you don't want to be touched."

She was quiet again, thinking of what to say next. I didn't want to bring anything up; I was going to let her do the talking. I waited patiently for her next question.

"What if I wanted you to touch me?" Bella whispered.

"Then I would gladly touch you." I whispered back. I couldn't help but be a little nervous; she was sending me mixed signals too.

"What do you mean by that? How would you touch me?" She asked.

"However you wanted." I replied.

"Don't say that. I want the truth from you, Alice. I want a straight answer, not one you think I want to hear. Please, tell me what you want to do with me? Are we just friends, or is there something more between us? I've always been confused with your intentions for me, and here we are five years later doing the same thing. Why do you keep flirting with me?" Bella was becoming annoyed with me.

"Bella, I don't want to say the wrong thing because I don't want to lose you as a friend, but if you want to know the truth then I will give you the truth." It was difficult for me to tell her my feelings; I've kept it a secret for so long.

"You won't lose me, I promise." Bella reached out slowly and held my hand.

I gripped her hand slowly, feeling nervous I finally answered her.

"I want you more than just a friend." I admitted; feeling embarrassed for telling her the truth.

Silence filled the room, neither one of us knew what to say. Bella nodded her head slowly; her hand still holding mine.

"How long have you felt this way?" She asked me quietly.

"For a long time."

"Exactly how long?" Her eyebrows rose. I was giving her answers that weren't really answers again.

"Since I've known you." I didn't know if she was happy to hear that or not. I wasn't able to read the look on her face. I felt vulnerable, my feelings were totally out in the open, and I knew nothing about her feelings for me.

Bella's forehead creased in confusion; I was anxious to hear what she would say to me.

"I'm sorry I feel this way about you, but you asked me for the truth." I said quietly after Bella didn't respond.

"Why didn't you tell me this sooner?" She finally asked, sounding upset. I looked at her once more to find her glaring at me.

"Because you were in a relationship with my brother. I couldn't confess my love for you when you loved my brother. That would have been wrong of me to do, and you know that. Why are you upset about that?" I asked, confused about her reaction.

"If only you would have told me then, you could have saved me a lot of pain."

"What do you mean? You were in love with my brother, not me. I would have been an idiot to tell you something like that back then. I would have ruined everything if I told you something like that. You know I'm right."

"How could you not have seen how much I loved you, Alice? I wanted you for myself, without Edward. I loved you, and I wanted you so much. It hurt me everyday you weren't with me." Her voice rose slightly.

"You loved me?" I asked, after a minute of silence.

"Yes, I _did_." She emphasized the word did.

"And what about now? Do you love me now?" I asked, wanting to know if I had ruined any chance I had with her.

If only I hadn't left her, who knows what would have happened.

"I don't know how I feel about you now. You broke my heart when you left and never came back, and I hated you for it. You don't expect me to still be in love with the person who left me behind, do you?"

"No, I don't. Only a foolish person would love someone who hurt them." I admitted. I had my chance, and I blew it. Bella loved me once, but it seems like she didn't anymore.

I was quiet after that. It was hard for me to look at Bella anymore. I felt ashamed of myself for leaving her, and I don't think I would ever forgive myself for that.

I could feel Bella's eyes on me.

"It's hard for me to stay mad at you. I want to hate you, but at the same time I want to kiss you. All these feelings came back to me like nothing ever happened, and I can't stand that. I don't want to be in love with you, but I can't stop loving you."

I looked up to find Bella only a couple of inches away from my face. I wasn't sure what she was going to do. I was confused because I didn't know what she wanted from me. Was she going to love me or hate me?

"What are you doing?" I asked, when Bella moved closer toward me.

"I'm going to do something I've wanted to do for a very long time." Bella licked her lips, and moved even closer to me.

I felt like a deer caught in the headlights. I couldn't move my body as Bella's lips met mine.

She kissed me slowly, and I was frozen. My brain refused to function properly.

Her arms slowly wrapped around my neck, as she pulled me closer.

My motor skills slowly returned to me, and I pressed myself harder against Bella. My lips began to move in motion with Bella's.

I was overloaded with joy that I was finally kissing Bella. I had thought of this moment ever since I saw the girl, and here I am actually doing it.

My body began to tingle as I became aroused. I could feel Bella's body squeezed tightly against mine, and it felt good.

Instinct took over, and I immediately reached for Bella's shirt. My hands had found the place where they had been earlier that night, only this time I was taking off her shirt.

I don't know how far she wanted to go with me, but right now I couldn't help myself. If she wanted to stop, I would stop.

I broke the kiss and looked at her body as I pushed her shirt over her bra, ready to tear it completely off when I saw it. I gasped, surprised at what I found.

Bella realized what I saw, and pulled away. She tried to cover herself with her hands, feeling embarrassed.

I had seen something that she didn't want me to see, her scar.

"I didn't want you to see that." She told me quietly.

I reached for her shirt, and pulled it over her head, and off her body. I took her arms, and pulled them toward me. "I need to know who did this to you. Please, tell me what happened."

A now white scar trailed from her neck, beneath her bra, and down to the side of her stomach.

"I don't want to talk about it." She told me quietly.

"Please Bella, I love you, and I want to know how you got this. If we want any kind of relationship together, I need to know the truth. Someone hurt you, and they need to pay." I told her, pleading for the truth.

"I took care of them already." Bella replied.

"Who?"

She was quiet again, refusing to tell me.

"Please tell me Bella." I begged her.

I stared at her, waiting for her to say something.

She sighed, and finally gave in. "Alright, I will tell you what happened."

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**A/N: Updates may be slower now, hopefully I can get a chapter up once a week. Work and school have started again, and it's hard to have a personal life when those two things are combined. I will finish this story, and do my best to upload as soon as I can. I hope you have enjoyed this chapter.**


	10. Chapter 10

"What exactly do you want to know?" Bella asked as she reached for her shirt. I let her put it back on, I didn't think we were going to get anywhere as far as sex was concerned. Knowing the truth about Bella was more important to me; sex could wait.

"I want to know everything that happened to you while we were gone, starting with what happened after we left." I told her.

Bella hesitated, trying to find a place to start. She shifted her body toward me, and slowly began to tell me her story.

"After you left I became a loner again. I didn't want to see anyone at all, and I was like that for a few months. I kept thinking that you would come back to me, but it never happened. Nothing really happened during that time, I just sat around my house and did nothing. I felt like nothing." She explained to me.

"So all that time you were just sitting by yourself, doing nothing? When did Jacob come into the picture?" I asked.

"It kind of felt like if I tried to maintain a relationship, I would loose them too. I kept myself away from people so I wouldn't get hurt. My dad kind of pushed me to go hang out with Jacob, and at first I didn't want to. I kept telling myself to wait for you, that you would come back and everything would be better. Jacob helped me to stop thinking that way. He made me feel like I could count on him to always be there for me, and he was for a while."

"Did you know that he was a werewolf?" I asked, wondering how long Bella knew about Jacob.

"Not at the time. He didn't know what he was either. I began to have romantic feelings for him, and I was scared. I wanted to be with you, but you weren't here and he was. I didn't want him to take my love away from you; he wasn't able to. Soon after he stopped talking to me, and I hadn't seen him for days. I thought that I made him upset by telling him about you, and that he didn't want to talk to me anymore."

"You told him how you felt about me?" I asked, surprised that she would confide in Jacob with a secret like that.

"Yes, I did. He kept going on about how Edward was such a bad guy, and that I shouldn't stay hung up on him, and it just got to me. I was tired of hearing his name, and it just came out one day. I told him to stop talking about Edward, that it wasn't him I loved. I felt like I couldn't tell anyone how I really felt about you, and I really wanted to tell someone. He was the only person who I thought would take it okay so I told him."

"So how did he take it?" I questioned.

"Not as good as I had hoped. He asked me if I was really a lesbian, and I told him it didn't matter what I was. I loved Edward once, but I also loved you. I was confused about my feelings, and I didn't know how to classify myself."

"You don't need to be put in a classification, you can't help who you love."

"I know. He accepted it though, and asked me how I felt about him. I know he loved me, but I didn't want to ruin our friendship. It would be back to sitting at home alone if I told him that I wasn't in love with him yet."

"But you were falling in love with him?"

"Yes, I was. Slowly I began to let my feelings go for you, loosing hope that you would ever come back. He changed, but he came back to me. Jake told me that he wanted to be with me no matter what."

"What did you tell him?"

"I said that I needed time to think about what I really wanted. I was still confused and I needed to make a choice between keeping my hopes up for you, or moving on. He agreed to give me some time on my own to make up my mind, but he warned me that a vampire was in the area. The vampire kept coming back to Forks, and Jacob's pack couldn't understand what the vampire wanted."

"Who was it?" I asked, afraid of what the answer might be.

Bella looked at me with a sad face and replied, "Victoria"

"Why was she coming here? We were already gone." I asked her quickly.

"Turns out that she didn't want Edward to die, she wanted me to. A mate for a mate is how she thought of it."

"What did you do to protect yourself?"

"I had the protection of Jacob, they kept her away for a long time. After a while she stopped coming around, and everything went back to normal. Jacob was under the impression that they had scared her away for good, but they were wrong. She was waiting for the right moment to come back, when no one would suspect her."

"How long was she gone for?"

"Maybe a few months, enough for me to finish the rest of the semester of school, and start it again. My feelings for you still lingered, so I told Jacob that I only wanted to be friends with him. He just kept saying that I would be his one day, and that these feelings for you would go away. Jake protected me, and I was grateful for that. He never gave up on me."

"What happened with Victoria though?" I asked her.

"She came back for me. I was on my way home from school, and had just gotten home. I opened the door to my car to get out, and I found her waiting for me in front of my house. Charlie wasn't home, and Jacob was nowhere to be found, so I was alone. She had caught me, and I didn't know what to do. I tried to run, but I only made it easier for her. I ended up in the forest, going further away from civilization, and landing right into her trap. That is where she wanted me to go, because she wasn't chasing me yet."

"Where did she go?"

"I stopped to see where she was, and I didn't see her anywhere. My heart was pounding its last few beats when she jumped on me from a tree above. I was knocked to the ground, and I was pretty sure I broke my arm on the fall. I tried to scream out in pain, but she covered my mouth. She told me to shut up, and she might make my death a little less painful. I couldn't control myself, and I kept yelling. Victoria reached out to my body, and placed her fingers against my neck."

I gasped as Bella began to tell me how Victoria mutilated her body.

"I guess she was angry that I wasn't being quiet, so she slowly dug her nail into my skin, and blood began to form. This only made my screaming worse as I watched Victoria put her finger in her mouth, and lick my blood. Her eyes rolled into the back of her head, and she smiled wickedly at me. She told me that she was going to love watching me die a slow death, and she placed the finger that was in her mouth back to my neck. She poked her finger back in the hole where she first cut me, and began to drag her finger slowly down my body. Victoria slowly tore my skin, through my shirt, down my breasts, and on the side of my stomach."

My eyes were wide as I continued to listen to the gory details.

"I tried to scream louder, but I was too much in shock to use my voice. I guess she didn't realize when she put her finger back down against my skin; her venom came in contact with my blood. It was her careless mistake. I thought I was dying, and she was enjoying it. My vision was starting to go black, and I thought it was the last time I was going to see anything. She looked at me, still smiling, as she told me what she was going to do with my body. She said she was going to save my blood, and send some to you guys as a present. That's when I had passed out, and the next thing I knew I was in the backseat of a car, with Victoria as the driver."

"She took your body with her?" I asked, shocked at what Bella had been put through. Victoria was out for revenge, but Bella was innocent.

"She wanted to save my blood, so she took me with her. I think the venom had already started to kick in, because when I woke up I was in immense pain."

"What did you do next?"

"I laid there, pretending to be dead, letting the venom take effect. It hurt like hell, but I was determined to get my revenge on her. I wasn't going to let her win. She drove a long way, and I just waited patiently. I was sure she didn't want to stay close, because people would be looking for me. Wherever she was going, it was far enough away from everyone. I lay there and took the pain for what seemed like days. I kept my eyes shut, and waited. After some time she had stopped driving, and got out of the car. Victoria opened the back seat of the car, and began to drag me out of the car. I played along and let her tug me around whichever way she wanted. She picked up my body, and hung me over her shoulder. I felt even worse when my cut was pressed up against her shoulder. I had stopped bleeding, but it still hurt."

"She didn't suspect that you were still alive?" I asked, curious.

"Maybe she thought I was alive still, she needed a way to keep my blood fresh. Either way, she thought she had control over me. She took me into this house, and put me down on a table in this cold room. I had my eyes shut, so I didn't know what she was doing, but she had her hands gripped on my face, like she was looking to see if I had any life left in me. Then she let go, and I heard her walking away. The door shut, but I didn't take any chances. I didn't move one inch, as I continued to feel the venom run through my veins."

"Do you know how long you were there? How far along had the venom gone?" I questioned Bella.

"She must have been driving at least two days, and she left me on the table for quite a while. I could hear her moving around the house, but I had no idea what she was doing. I could only guess that she was gathering the tools she needed to take my blood out of my body. I prayed that I had time to change before she came in, every minute that went by I could feel the pain dulling. I knew I was changing; it was just a matter of time before I was turned."

"Did you change before she came back?"

"I did. The pain had eventually stopped, and I opened my eyes to see where I was. I was lying on top of a kitchen table. I looked down at the table and could see the last few drops of my blood in a small puddle. My throat had burned, and I felt desperately hungry. When I looked down at my chest, I saw a white line trailing down my body. My cut had healed already, and left a scar behind. My arm wasn't hurting anymore, and looked like it had healed. I quietly sat up and got off the table. The clothes I was wearing were torn and bloody, but I didn't care. I wanted to find Victoria, and get my revenge."

I was surprised that Bella wanted to actually get revenge on Victoria. I would think that she would run away, I never knew she would confront someone.

"I slowly walked over to the door, and listened quietly for any sounds. I heard quiet footsteps walking around in the other room. I waited a few minutes, deciding if I should wait for her to come in here, or if I should go get her myself. I was about to go in the other room after her, when Victoria came in the door. I backed away from the door, and allowed her to walk past me. She didn't see me at first, but when she noticed I wasn't on the table she turned around and spotted me. By the time she realized what was happening, I had knocked her on the floor, and pinned her down. I was so angry with her; I couldn't control myself. I was tired of being thought of as weak, and being pushed around so I just snapped."

"What did you do, Bella?" I asked, worried that she had been pushed to kill.

"I took her head off. I just kept squeezing her neck like I was chocking her, and I must have been pushing too hard because her neck snapped. Her body was like stone; there wasn't any blood. I didn't even say anything, I just killed her. She was going to kill me first, so I did what I had to do."

"Bella, I'm so sorry you had to do that. If I would have known any of this had happened, I would have been by your side in a heartbeat." I explained to her, trying to make her see that I really did care about her. I never wanted to give up on her.

"After she was dead, I ran into the living room where all of her tools were waiting. I found containers, labeled with my name on it, and I had found the address to where you guys were living. She must have tracked you down somehow. I thought of going to find you, but I didn't know if you wanted me around or not, so I decided against it. I searched for some clothes in the house, and once I found some fresh ones, I ran out of the house as fast as I could. I guess I was still afraid that she was going to come back, even though I killed her. I found a forest not too far from her house, and I drank from what I could find. I was afraid to be around people due to my hunger, so once I realized where I was, I made myself come back to Forks to see if anyone had been looking for me."

"Where did she take you?"

"To some remote place in Canada, far away from anyone. I only found out where I was by looking at a road sign after roaming the forest for a few hours. I made my way back slowly, and when I finally got back, they had already thought I was dead. There was a memorial service for me, and I showed up just in time to see it. I listened in the forest as they were saying that there was still hope for me, that I could still be alive, but then they found my bloody jacket in the forest. I couldn't stand to look at any of them, especially my father. I didn't want to see the pain on their faces, and I couldn't go back now. I wasn't just going to come out of the trees and act like nothing happened. The stone with my name on it was already being placed in the backyard. I was different now, they would know something was up if I went back, so I had to decide to live on my own."

"And so you went to Seattle?

"Yes, I was scared to go any further than that. I didn't know anything about what I had become, except from what I've learned from you. I stayed close because I missed home, and I didn't know what else to do. I've told you already what I had to do to get the job and apartment I have now."

I was stunned at all that Bella had been through. I was unsure of what to say to her, except that I was sorry. She had to kill someone in order to survive because we weren't here to protect her. It seems like Bella was destined to be one of us, whether we left her or not. So much time had been wasted and ruined because we thought we were protecting her, when we had actually done the exact opposite.

"I'm so sorry for everything that has happened to you. I will do anything to make it up to you; it must have been so terrible to start out like that. I'm really sorry, Bella. I can't imagine the pain that you have been through. Not only did we all abandon you, but you also had to leave everything that you loved behind. I don't think there is anything I can do that will make up for what has happened to you." I grabbed her hand, and pulled her closer to me.

Her face was filled with sorrow as she looked at me and said, "Don't ever leave me again. I will never forgive you if you disappear on me again."

I looked straight into Bella's eyes and said, "I promise that I will never let you go again. I will always stay by your side, no matter what."

"Thank you Alice. I'm glad you came back to me, even if it took you five years." Bella slowly wrapped her arms around me, and I gripped her tight.

I was never going to let her go.

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**A/N: No cliffhangers this time, and I got to update sooner than expected. Just so you know Bella and Alice are not going to jump straight to sex. This is not supposed to be a "I love you now lets have sex" fic. It's difficult not to go straight to the sex, because honestly it's fun to write, but I want to make it kind of classy I guess you could say. Anyway, hope you have enjoyed the chapter.**


	11. Chapter 11

I didn't realize it, but Bella and I spent the whole night talking. By the time she was finished telling me her story, the light from the overcast sky outside started to shine through one of Bella's windows.

"I'd like to take a shower and relax." Bella told me quietly, as she let go of me.

"So would I." I replied, smiling softly.

Bella's eye's widened slightly, then she replied shyly, "What do you suggest we do about that? We both want a shower, but there is only one."

"What do you think I am going to say? You know I would love to join you." I reached for her shirt, and began tugging at it again.

Bella slowly pushed my hand back on my lap and said, "I would love that too, but I'm a classy girl and I don't have sex straight away."

"Straight away? I didn't say anything about having sex; I just want to take a shower with you. Besides, we've loved each other for years, doesn't that count? Have you even had sex before?" I asked, trying to think of ways to make Bella change her mind.

"My sex life is private." She simply replied, as she got up to walk to her bathroom.

"Well I'm going to be part of your sex life eventually, so why not now? Can't I at least your body?" I asked, getting up to follow her.

"What makes you so sure of what you're going to get? I'm in control of who gets to touch me and when. I am not comfortable with showing you my body just yet." Bella teased, as she leaned against the bathroom door to watch me suffer.

"Do you want me to beg you? Will you let me in with you then?" I asked, trying to put on a sad face.

"Hmm, let's see how good you beg first, and then I'll see how I feel after." She said with a serious voice.

"I bent down on my knees before her, and held my hands out in front of her, "Please Bella, will you let me shower with you? I will make it worthwhile, I promise. I'll clean every inch of your body. I just want to shower with you." I begged, kind of enjoying the game that we were playing, but I really wanted in there with her.

"Sorry, Alice. I guess you're going to have to wait your turn." Bella said with a frown on her face.

I stared at her stupidly, my knees still on the floor, as she slowly closed the door in my face. I could hear her laughing on the other side of the door.

"You just wait Bella. One day you're going to want to have me, and I'll say no just like you did. I'm going to make you want me, but you won't be able to touch me. You won't like it then." I said through the door, still on the floor.

"We'll see about that." was all Bella said as she turned the water on to the shower.

I sat outside the bathroom door for a minute, acting like a little puppy wanting to go inside. I thought that she might have changed her mind, but I just continued to sit there.

Eventually I got off the floor, and walked out of Bella's bedroom. I had to get my mind out of the gutter, and I wasn't doing myself any good by waiting right outside the door of the bathroom.

I walked over to her fridge, and opened it up to find a few containers filled with red liquid. I knew it was blood, and thought it was smart of her to keep a supply in case she ever became hungry and couldn't wait. I also worried that she only kept blood in her apartment so she wouldn't have to go out. She needed to have interaction, whether it's just walking past the person or actually talking to them. At least she had me here to keep her company now.

Seeing the container also made me think of how Victoria planned on using Bella's blood. It was sickening to hear her talk about how Victoria was going to send the blood to my family. We had made such a terrible mistake in leaving Bella; it was already too late to spare her human life. I should have known that.

I also recalled how Bella killed Victoria. I wasn't expecting Bella to actually kill someone, it must have been very hard for her to handle. Tearing off the head of another vampire take's a lot of guts, and burning the body takes even more…

I paused, thinking back quickly to what Bella had told me. Nowhere had she told me that she had burnt Victoria's body, only that she tore off her head and then ran away. I froze as realization hit me; Victoria could still very well be alive.

Why hadn't she come back for Bella? What was she waiting for?

No one was here to protect Bella; this would have been the perfect time to make a move. Maybe it was the fact that Bella was still a newborn. Victoria would wait because she knows Bella is stronger than her. It would be foolish to go up against a newborn if you're by yourself, and Victoria knew that.

Maybe she gave up because Bella wasn't a human anymore, but that was almost impossible to believe.

I was back in Bella's life now, so I was confident that if Victoria ever did come back, I would be here to help Bella kill Victoria the proper way. Bella had nothing to worry about. I should tell Jasper the news so he could keep on the look out for us.

Just at that moment, Bella came out of her bedroom with a towel wrapped around her body. "I was wondering where you went." Bella said, as she noticed the worried look on my face.

I must have been staring at the fridge the whole time Bella was in the shower. I slowly looked up at Bella, and attempted to smile.

"What's the matter? Is it Edward?" She asked me quickly.

I shook my head, "No, I was just thinking about how you killed Victoria. You didn't happen to burn her body, did you?"

Bella's eyes went wide, and she replied, "No, I just ran away. Did I not do it right? Is she still alive?"

"She could be, but I'm not sure. If she is still alive, then she either can't find you or is just waiting for the right moment to strike."

"I took off her head though, that usually kills people for good." Bella said, trying to convince herself she killed Victoria properly.

"Victoria isn't a normal person though. It sounds weird, but she can be able to reattach her body parts. In order to kill a vampire, you have to burn their body." I explained to Bella.

Bella closed her eyes, and took a deep breath. "I'm so stupid. Why did I not burn her? I should have set the whole damn place on fire. I can never do anything right."

"No, you're not stupid. You were just scared, and ran away as quick as you could. I would have probably done the exact same thing if I was in your position." I tried to make Bella feel better.

"What are we going to do?" She asked me quietly.

"She hasn't bothered you yet, so I wouldn't worry about it. If and when she ever comes back, we will take care of her. You and I can defeat her together; I'm not going to leave you so you'll always have me for protection. You have nothing to worry about."

"I guess you're right, two is better than one. I really need to know more about being a vampire, I never had anyone to teach me after I changed." Bella stood there with the towel wrapped tightly around her body, looking at me with a pout on her face.

I bit my lip, keeping my distance from her. "I'll be your teacher." I replied.

Bella smiled slightly, and took a step closer. "That would be nice. Should I call you Ms. Cullen?"

She was trying to get me to make a move, but I wasn't going to play her game this time.

"You're not playing this game with me, Bella. I'm going to go take a shower now." It took all that I had to walk past her, and head straight to the bathroom.

"Have fun, teacher." Bella said to me as I went into her bathroom, and locked the door behind me.

She didn't want to make love with me, and I wasn't going to let her tease me to death. I just wanted a peaceful shower, without thinking of Bella. She wanted me to be frustrated, I think it turned her on. She needs a taste of her own medicine.

I turned on the faucet to the shower, and began to undress. I noticed Bella had left her underwear lying on the bathroom floor, and I pushed it out of the way with my foot. She probably left if there on purpose.

It took me a while to relax in the shower; I couldn't keep my mind off of Bella. I was becoming even more frustrated, having to wait even longer. I've been waiting so long already, and when she finally admitted that she had feelings for me I was so excited. Of course I wanted to go further with Bella, but I'm not going to push her to do anything she doesn't want. It's her choice, and when she is ready then I will gladly make my move, but for now I must keep my hormones in control.

I turned off the water, and reached out for a towel when I realized that there wasn't one in the bathroom. I opened the shower curtain to find that there wasn't a towel anywhere in the entire bathroom.

"Bella?" I called out from behind the shower curtain, water dripping from my hair.

"What is it?" I heard her voice on the other side of the bathroom door.

"There isn't a towel in here. Do you have any out there?" I asked, starting to wonder if this was done on purpose as well.

"Oh, no there isn't one out here. I'm sorry, all the towels are dirty and need to be washed. I forgot to tell you I took the last clean one."

"What am I supposed to do? I'm wet and naked with nothing to dry myself off with."

I could hear Bella laughing on the other side of the door, and that's when I knew she had done this on purpose.

"This isn't funny Bella." I said with a serious voice. She was doing everything possible to tease me.

I picked up my dirty shirt and threw it quickly over my body. I didn't want to, but I also put my panties back on so I wouldn't be completely naked when I walked outside. I opened the bathroom door, my hair was dripping, the shirt clung to my wet body, and I had no pants on.

I glared at Bella as I watched her expression turn from one of humor, to one of surprise.

"You're evil." I said quietly as I walked past her, and went into her closet. I found that in fact she was not out of towels; she just placed them in her closet.

I grabbed a towel and began to rub my hair to stop the water from dripping down my body. I also stripped my shirt off, peeling it off of my skin. Then I slipped my panties off, replacing them with a towel wrapped around my body.

When I turned around to find some clean clothes, I found Bella standing at the door with the same look of desire in her eyes that I saw the other night.

"Looks like you do have clean towels." I replied, as I picked out a clean shirt to wear.

"I must have misplaced them." She said with a rasp to her voice.

"I know you did this on purpose." I walked past her, and pulled open the panty drawer. I reached inside and picked out a black pair, with a matching lace bra.

I glanced at Bella from the corner of my eye, and could see her looking at my still wet body. I smiled slightly, but I stayed my place. I wasn't going to run after her like she wanted me to; she was going to have to make the first move.

"Bella, I need to change clothes. Cover your eyes, please." I asked politely.

It took her a couple of seconds to get her eyes glued off of my body, but eventually she looked back up at my face.

"This is my house, I can do whatever I want. I don't have to close my eyes." She told me quietly.

I had to admit that I was turned on by her quiet assertiveness. There was something sexy about the way she could say so much in her own quiet way. She was subtle, but that was something I loved about her. I could never really tell what she was thinking, and it made her more mysterious. It only made her sexier when she hinted at what she wanted, never coming out and just saying it.

"Okay, guess I'll just have to change in front of you…" I said slowly, seeing if she was going change her mind and move or not.

She didn't move one inch.

I dropped the towel from my grip, and it fell around my ankles. I had my shoulder turned against Bella, so it would have been hard for her to see the front of my body. However, my butt was in full view of Bella's vision.

I slowly put my panties on first, gently stepping into them and sliding them up my legs. When I reached the top, I slapped them into place, and reached for the bra. I slid it up my arms, and reached behind me to secure it, when I felt Bella's hands rest on my back.

"Let me help you." She whispered in my ear.

Her hands slowly slid down my shoulder, and I shook at the sensation. I could feel her intentional breathing down my neck, but it was relaxing to me. Her hands grazed the bra, and she gently pulled back, and snapped the bra into place.

"Thank you Bella." I said as I turned around to face her. Pieces of my hair hung down against my face, still wet from the shower.

She moved in towards me, hoping for a kiss, but I pulled away from her. I reached out for the t-shirt I had picked out to wear.

"I hope you don't mind if I wear this." I whispered.

Turns out it was Bella's shirt that I had taken from her house, the one that I had given her so long ago. I pulled it slowly over my head as she looked into my eyes the whole time.

I pulled the shirt down against my torso, and I just stared Bella to see what she would do.

Her hand slowly reached up to my body, and she took hold of my waist. I was pulled in against Bella, and could felt her breasts against my body. She was breathing heavily, taking in my scent. Bella brought her face against my neck, and I felt her inhale deeply.

I really wanted to take it further, but I wasn't going to do that. I knew it was too soon for Bella, I'm not sure she knew it at the moment though.

Her lips touched my neck gently, as she slowly began to kiss me. I could feel her tongue rolling against my pulse point, as I struggled not to let out a moan.

Her hands lowered against my body, wrapping them around my butt. She pulled me in tightly, keeping me as close to her as she could get.

I closed my eyes, and my mouth opened slightly. I couldn't believe this was happening, especially with Bella. It felt like I was in the perfect dream, but that was foolish of me to think. Vampires couldn't have dreams.

"Can we go to my bed?" Bella asked me in-between kisses.

This is what pulled me out of my trance. I slowly pulled Bella off of my body, finding it extremely difficult to do so.

"What happened to wanting to wait?" I asked her.

"Forget about waiting. I want you now, don't you want me?" She asked.

"Of course I do, but I think you're too turned on to think properly right now. I'm an idiot for saying this, but we should wait like you wanted."

Bella's hands dropped to her side, and she looked at me with a stupid expression on her face. "Are you serious?"

"Yes, Bella. I am. You'll thank me for this later." I said to her, as I walked out of her closet. It took all that I had to step away from a hot and bothered Bella. She was ready and willing, and I turned her down. It was for the best though; I knew she wanted to wait.

"No, I won't thank you for this later. I want you now." She followed me out of the closet.

"See how you feel in a couple of hours from now, and then we will take if from there."

"Please Alice, come to bed with me." She whined.

"Doesn't it feel bad to be teased?" I turned around to face her with a smile on my face.

"What?"

"You're not the only one who can tease a person."

Bella had a taste of her own medicine, and I don't think she liked it much at all.

"Okay, fine…we won't have sex, but do you have to walk around in only your panties? You make it hard for me to stop thinking about you in that way."

"Now you know how I feel." I smiled, and laughed at the shocked expression on Bella's face.

It took her a while to say something back to me; I knew I had made my point, and she knew it too.

"You're so annoying." Bella groaned, as she pushed herself past me.

I just laughed at her, as she continued walking away from me. I knew I was going to get my revenge on her for teasing me, I just didn't know it would have been so soon.

* * *

**A/N: Not much happening in this chapter, it seems kind of like a filler but I've enjoyed writing it. Thank you all for your alerts and feedback, I appreciate them greatly.**


	12. Chapter 12

Bella and I kept going back and forth with each other over the next few days. She would have her moments where it was hard for her to resist, but I knew that she really did want to wait.

I can't have everything I want all at once. I must pay for my absence, and Bella was making it really hard on me. I'm sure it was hard for her too, but there were times where I wanted to rip off her clothes and ravage every inch of her body. My thoughts and fantasies kept me sedated enough to where I didn't ruin anything with her. I kept my distance, and thought of all the fun things that were in store for us.

I would watch Bella work from afar, and kept silent. I didn't want to bother her; I just watched from the distance. I was allowed to stay in her room now, so that was a plus. Bella had this thing where she liked to lay in bed, even if she couldn't sleep. I was privileged enough to be asked to lie next to her, and I accepted her offer.

Nothing further happened between us besides kissing, and heavy petting. The rest of our time was spent talking, or just enjoying each other's company. It was nice just to relax with her without the worry of wondering what to say next. I understood that this was the type of person Bella was; she enjoyed silence. I would just stroke Bella softly as she rested her eyes. I would never look away from her, every moment I had with her at peace was beautiful. This was the kind of life I wanted to have with Bella before the nightmare began.

I knew she missed being human; I'm sure it was way too soon for her to be changed. It happened though, and she had to adapt. Maybe this was why she wanted lie in bed; she needed some form of comfort from human life. It was hard for me to remember what my life was like before I was a vampire, so I didn't really have any difficulties adapting.

It felt to me like Bella was a little girl who had lost her doll, and was desperately trying to find her way back to it. She was helpless, and coping the only way that she knew how.

Maybe I could be the replacement for Bella's old doll. I would be the shiny new doll that had overshadowed the previous one. I had to think of something to help Bella feel better about herself. She needed to realize how powerful and great this new life could be. She had a lot of potential to be a great immortal; she just needed to believe in herself first.

I would work slowly with her, teaching her everything I know about being a vampire, and hopefully she will gain her self worth back along the way.

I had been lying on Bella's bed thinking about all this, while staring at her sitting in front of the computer.

I took comfort in the soft sound of the keystrokes from the computer as she typed away her latest project. I could see a partial smile from the corner of her face, and I was sure that she was almost finished.

Her apartment needed to be cleaned, so whenever she was working I took the time to clean up her apartment for her. I had made her bed like I used to when she was still living with Charlie, but I wasn't sure if she liked it or not.

Bella told me that she didn't see the point of making a bed when you're just going to get back in it at the end of the day and mess it all up again. I explained that it showed responsibility, and she just shrugged it off. I don't think I was ever going to get her to make her bed on her own.

"Finally, I'm finished." Bella said from her spot in front of the computer.

"That's great. What do you write about anyway?" I asked, curious. I don't know why I hadn't asked before.

"I write about different things. Mainly just current events, but every once and a while I will get to write something really fun." Bella turned from her chair to face me.

"Like what?" I asked.

"I get to write about my opinions, letting everyone know how I really feel about the world." She smiled.

"Really? That sounds cool."

"It is cool. I love my job because once I am finished I can be lazy the rest of the day." Bella stood up, and began walking toward me.

"But there are so many other things you can do with your time." I pulled Bella's waist in closer toward me once she was in front of me.

"Like what?" She asked me.

"Oh, I don't know. Maybe clean your apartment, or actually make your bed."

"But now I have you to clean it up for me again." Bella smiled.

"What do you do the rest of the day anyway? Sit around and watch TV? When was the last time you went out?" I asked her.

"I don't know. I usually go out when I run out of supplies."

"Maybe you and I should go out together. Can I take you on a date?" I asked, looking up into her eyes.

"That depends on where you take me. I don't want to be around big crowds." She told me, pulling away from me slightly.

"How about we just go out for a walk? We can go hunting together if you'd like, or just stick around close to your apartment."

"What if someone sees us?"

"I don't think anyone will. And if anyone does see us, so what? It's not like they're going to attack us."

"I don't know Alice. I'm comfortable here."

"Please Bella, just let me take you out for a while. We don't have to be out too long if you don't want." I held onto her hand, squeezing it tightly.

She looked at me for a few seconds, silently. I tried my best to give her puppy eyes, and it seemed to have worked.

"Alright, we can go out for a little while, but I don't want to be out all day long." Bella gave in.

I smiled brightly, "Thank you Bella. You're going to have fun, I know it."

"We'll see about that." Bella said as she walked into her closet to get ready.

Twenty minutes later we were walking out of Bella's apartment complex. It was cold and raining, so we had our jackets on for show.

"I miss the sunshine." Bella mumbled.

"Just because you're changed doesn't mean you don't have to live without the sun. I'll take you somewhere nice and sunny one day." I smiled as I grabbed Bella's hand, and began pulling her toward the forest.

"Where are you going to take me?" Bella asked, as she caught up by my side.

"Where do you want to go? I'll take you anywhere."

"We can go to California. It's not that far away, and it's usually nice weather there."

"California is very beautiful. I love going there, and I know you would enjoy it."

Bella and I were holding hands, going down the few blocks that led to the forest. No one was out on the street because of the weather, so we were almost unnoticed.

"Which part of California do you love the most?" Bella asked me as we passed the last buildings of the town, and began stepping into the soft, green grass.

"I love San Francisco the most. It's such a beautiful place, and it's easy to get to from here. We could be there in less than a day if you wanted. I used to go there a lot when my family kind of broke up. After we left you behind, things were just different between all of us. I went there to get away from all of the bad memories."

"Isn't it usually sunny there, though?" Bella asked, ignoring the last part of my statement.

"Yes, I would say it is. When the sun came out, I would go to the countryside just outside of San Francisco. The hills there are so beautiful, and it was nice to be in the sun every once in a while, even if I was hidden from everyone."

"I'd like to go there." Bella looked at me and smiled.

"I promise I will take you there. We have forever to do anything we want." I held her hand up to my lips, and kissed it gently.

"Forever sounds nice." Bella said quietly as we began traveling through the forest.

We had decided to go hunting, just to have something to do. I thought I would explain to Bella how I go about hunting.

It wasn't long before we caught the scent of a doe close by. We were hiding behind the trunk of the tree as I was trying to explain to her how I hunt.

"Always make sure the wind is blowing away from you. You don't want the deer to catch onto your scent before it's too soon. Sometimes I like to wait in the trees for the animal to come closer, but when I'm really hungry I won't wait. Part of the fun is catching your prey, but I've had times where I couldn't wait."

"What is the best way to kill the animal without causing it any pain?" Bella whispered to me.

"Break its neck first, it will most likely be instant death, and the doe won't feel pain. Take from the neck of course, it's the easiest way to get the most blood."

I was going to let Bella take this one; she needed to know how to go about hunting in the most humane way.

"Okay, I'm going to make my move." Bella said as she began to slowly approach the animal.

I nodded as I watched her from behind the tree. The doe was slowly walking across our view, minding it's own business. Bella launched up into one of the trees quietly, and began jumping from limb to limb.

Eventually she was right above the doe, just waiting to pounce. The doe had not noticed a thing when Bella jumped down on top of her.

The neck snapped, killing her instantly. Bella gently set the doe on the ground.

"I'm sorry." I heard Bella whisper, right before she sunk her teeth into it's neck.

I left my position from behind the trunk, and approached Bella slowly. I let her finish feeding, and placed my hand gently on her back.

"I never liked hunting." Bella told me after she finished feeding.

"You get used to it."

"Do you just leave the body here? Won't someone think it's weird that her blood was sucked out?" Bella asked me.

"The other animals usually will take care of the body. They're hungry too." I explained to her.

"I just don't like killing. I wish I didn't have to, that's why I store the blood at my house whenever I do go hunting, so I won't have to kill so often." Bella looked up at me with a look on pain on her face.

"I understand how you feel, it'll get better for you." I rubbed her back lightly, as she turned her attention toward me, and hugged me tightly.

"I'm so glad that you came back into my life. I'm not so alone on this anymore."

I wrapped my arms around her, and kissed her on top of the head.

After a few minutes of holding her, Bella's hand moved to my cheek as she slowly stopped hugging me. I had my arms loosely around her still, as she looked into my eyes.

"I've wanted to tell you something for a long time now. Despite the fact that you've been out of my life for some time, I still can't help but love you. I've been really harsh on you, and I'm not apologizing for that because I think you deserved it, but deep down I really do care for you."

I smiled when I heard her say that.

"I love you so much, Alice. I don't think there is anything that can take that away. It's impossible for me to stop loving you." Bella continued.

I slowly pulled Bella closer toward me, bringing her lips closer to mine. I gently brushed my lips upon hers, slowly kissing her. My eyes shut as Bella responded to my kiss.

I stopped kissing Bella, but kept her close to my face. Our foreheads were touching, and I still had my eyes closed.

"I love you, Bella. More than just a friend, but I think you knew that already." My eyes slowly opened to see Bella looking back at me with her bright, golden eyes.

She smiled softly, and said, "I know."

Bella pulled my face toward hers again, and continued to kiss me. I did not resist this time; I let my feelings be free, and kissed her exactly how I wanted to. I knew I wasn't being teased this time.

The rest of the day was spent wondering the forest, just enjoying each other's company. I think it was a very good idea to get Bella out of her apartment. We were actually starting to become what we used to be. I was getting my old Bella back; it just took time.

"It's really hard for me to keep my hands from myself." Bella mumbled as we were walking back to her apartment. Her hands slowly rubbed the side of my stomach, grabbing the material of my shirt, and clenching it in her fist.

"I know how you feel." I responded quietly.

Bella stood in front of me to stop me from moving anymore, and gazed at me with lust filled eyes. I knew what she wanted from me.

"I know I said I wanted to wait, but I can't stop thinking about it. I really want to make love to you, now."

I groaned, forcing myself to be the gentleman and decline her offer. "You don't know how much I want you Bella, but if we just wait a little while longer it'll be better for you."

"Why do we have to wait? I know you love me, and I love you. I don't think we'll ever be apart again, so why not? I'm ready." Bella squeezed my hand tightly.

"Are you sure you're ready? I don't want to do anything unless you really think you're ready." I asked, curious if she was truly ready or not.

"I know what I want Alice, and right now I want you. I'm tired of just fantasizing about you; I want the real thing." Bella grabbed me by the shirt, and pulled me in for a kiss.

I moaned slightly as she kissed me, and I could feel her smiling against my lips.

"That's such a wonderful sound."

"Let's go back to your apartment, and see how you feel then. Maybe you'll calm down and come to your senses, but if not you've been warned. I'm not sure that I will be able to stop, so please don't tease me anymore."

"I'm done teasing you Alice. I am serious about this." Bella pulled on my hand, guiding me in the direction back to her apartment.

"Now you're pulling me by the hand?" I questioned with a smile on her face.

"Do you have a problem with that?" Bella turned to face me.

"Not at all, lead the way." I smiled, and with that said Bella was leading me back to her apartment as fast as she could.

When we got to the city, we had to slow it down. Bella was walking as fast as she could at a humans pace, and I couldn't help but laugh a little bit.

We entered Bella's apartment complex, and she quickened her pace as she tried to get her door.

The key couldn't have turned faster in the lock as her door swung open, and I was pulled into her apartment.

I watched as Bella slammed the door shut, and locked it behind her. Her body was backed against the door as if she was keeping me from escaping.

"You don't have to worry about me going anywhere, Bella." I smiled, wondering what she was thinking.

Bella released herself from the door, and slowly began walking towards me. I was prepared for whatever she planned to do with me, but I wasn't prepared for what was going to happen next.

There was a loud knock on the door.

Bella froze in her tracks, and I rolled my eyes. I couldn't ever have alone time with Bella, there always had to be interruptions. I think I knew who was at the door too, and it wasn't the landlord this time.

I brushed my hand across Bella's back as I walked past her, giving her a look of annoyance.

I looked out of her peephole, just like in my vision, and there stood Edward.

"Who is it?" Bella asked from behind me.

"Open the door Bella. I know you're in there." Edwards voice came from the other side of the door.

"Oh no, not him." Bella looked afraid. She moved away from the door slightly, as if she was trying to think of a way to escape.

"It's okay Bella. Nothing bad is going to happen. I'm on your side, so don't be afraid." I told her as I took hold of her shoulders.

"Okay, I trust you." She told me, looking back toward her door.

I reached for the doorknob, unlocked the door, and slowly opened it. Edward stood on the other side, smiling at Bella like nothing had ever happened.


	13. Chapter 13

Edward glanced in my direction with a dirty look on his face. He didn't say anything to me, as he looked back in Bella's direction. His face turned back into a smile.

"Get out of here, Edward." Bella growled from beside me. Her fear quickly vanished, replaced with pure hatred.

"I think you two owe me an explanation first. I'm surprised to actually see you alive." Edward took a step toward the door, trying to let himself in.

"I don't owe you a damn thing, get the hell out of here, now!" Bella slammed the door shut in Edwards face, and locked it.

"I'm not leaving, Bella. I can make this difficult for you if I must." Edward said from the other side of the door.

Bella shut her eyes tightly, and rubbed the side of her temples in frustration.

"Why do you have to bother me now? I was doing fine without you in my life." Bella said quietly.

"I only want to talk to you, and be able to explain things. If after you don't want to see me again, that's fine. I just want to talk to you for a little while. You don't want me to make a scene, do you? I'll find a way into your apartment whether you allow me to come in or not." Edward spoke politely from the other side of the door.

It mad me mad that Edward could think he could just come back into Bella's life, and control her like he used to.

"Alice, what should I do?" She turned to me and asked.

"It's your choice. I don't think that he will give up though; I know he will get in here one way or another. Edward will find a way to get what he wants." I said, annoyed with his persistence.

Bella looked defeated, and I felt sorry for her. I wish there was a way to keep Edward away from her, but we both knew that was impossible.

I touched Bella on the shoulder and whispered in her ear, "Don't worry Bella. Just let him know exactly how you feel. I'm right by your side, he can't hurt you anymore."

Bella looked into my eyes, and nodded her head. I knew Edward could hear everything we said, and everything I thought, but I didn't care. Bella wasn't his property. Edward wanted to confront us, so he was going to get the truth.

Bella hesitated, but eventually unlocked the door, and opened the door. Edward stepped inside quietly, and closed the door behind him.

"I'm glad you let me in, thank you Bella." Edward smiled politely, showing almost all of his teeth.

"Stop being polite, and say what you came to say." Bella demanded.

Edward smirked, and slowly moved over towards the sofa. He looked around the apartment, studying every inch of the place. He took off his jacket and set it down as he took a seat of the sofa.

Bella rolled her eyes, and walked over to Edward. She sat down on the other sofa, the opposite side from Edward. I followed Bella, and sat down next to her. Edward was trying to play his games; I could tell he wanted to manipulate her. He wanted to be the sweet, innocent boyfriend who finally came to the rescue. The only thing is in this particular situation, was the sister moved in on his girlfriend while he was away. I wasn't going to let Bella go for anyone.

"So where do I begin?" Edward asked, questioning eyes on the both of us.

"Just ask what you want to know. Stop playing your mind games." Bella said.

Edward's eyebrows rose, as if he wasn't expecting this kind of behavior from Bella, and said, "Okay, how are you still alive?"

"Victoria tried to kill me, and she failed to do so. I turned before she finished her task." She simply stated.

"What happened to Victoria?"

"At the time, I cut off her head, but I forgot to burn the body. I'm not really sure where she could be, or if she will be coming back." Bella was being very blunt, and cut right to the chase. She wanted Edward out as quick as possible.

Edward didn't seem to like the sound of that. "I'll find her for you, and kill her."

"Don't bother Edward. I don't need your help anymore; I can take care of myself. I've been doing that for a while now." Bella's hands were beginning to clench together in anger.

"Victoria isn't dead, she will be coming back for you and you've done nothing to prepare yourself. I have been looking for Victoria and haven't had any luck before, let me finish my job and save you." Edward said, acting just like Bella had never changed. He still thought of her as a human, someone he must protect from the dangers of the supernatural world.

"Bella is perfectly capable of taking care of herself. If you haven't noticed, she isn't a human anymore." I said quietly, looking Edward straight in the eyes.

He didn't respond to me.

Bella's forehead wrinkled in confusion. "Are you kidding me? You want to save me because it's your job? You really suck at your job, because I've been dead for some time now. I'm not saved, Edward. It's too late; you're fired. Now your job is over, get out of my life." Bella's voice began to rise in anger.

I placed my hand on Bella's knee as a sign of comfort, and this didn't go unnoticed by Edward.

"What about Alice? How come she is back in your life, she did the same exact thing." Edward asked quietly. He was becoming upset with Bella.

"Because she actually came back for me, without knowing I was already changed. She cared enough to find me, and I know that she loves me. I know that she always has, and always will."

Edward looked at me, and I just stared back at him. The truth was out, there was no other way get around it. He needed to know.

"Do you love her, Alice?" Edward asked me.

"Yes, but I know you already know that." I told him quietly.

"I just wanted to be sure I wasn't confused on your thoughts." He replied. Edward's hands clasped together, and he began to look uncomfortable. He was frustrated with the situation because it wasn't going his way.

"Do you have all of your answers now, Edward?" Bella asked with her arms crossed across her chest.

"Will you let me back into your life?" He asked after a minute of silence.

"No."

"Why not? You've forgiven Alice." Edwards jaw bone clenched tightly, trying to hide his frustration.

"It's different with her, Edward."

"How is it different?"

"Because she actually cares about me. I've already told you this." Bella began raising her voice again.

"Is it because you love her? What about me, Bella? I thought you loved me. I still love you, and I want to be back in your life."

"What?" Bella looked even more confused than before.

"I still am in love with you, Bella." Edward said slowly, looking at Bella with his golden eyes.

"How can you even say that? It's such a lie." Bella sounded shocked.

"No, it's not a lie. I love you, and always will. Don't you understand that's why I left you in the first place? It was for your protection."

"Look what good your protection did. You can't take care of a damn thing. You think loving a person means you leave them because you think it's the right thing to do? That isn't love to me, that's an excuse to not have to be with the person anymore. I was too much for you, and you were scared so you left. You couldn't handle my life, so you left."

"That's not true Bella. I left you so you could stay alive, and have your own life. I wanted you to be human, I didn't want you to be one of us; we're monsters." Edward explained.

"No, Edward. The only monster here is you. You're life wasn't the way you wanted, so you classify all of you as monsters. You wanted me to be afraid of you and your life style, but I only feel sorry for you. You can't even let a person love you, because you're too self-centered to think about how other people might feel. Whatever Edward wants, Edward gets. No one else matters in your eyes, you deserve to be alone." Bella shouted as loud as she could to Edward.

I kept quiet, this wasn't my battle to fight.

"I left you for your own sake. Don't you understand that?" Edward tried explaining in a calm voice. Nothing was working the way he planned it to.

"Oh shut up already. You don't give a damn about me. You didn't even know what happened to me, you had to wait for Alice to come looking before you even thought about me. I think you wanted to be depressed and alone. You used Victoria as an excuse to get away from your family and had them feel sorry for you. Get over yourself Edward; your stupid pity games don't work on me anymore."

"That isn't true, Bella. Will you just listen to me?" Edward tried everything he could to get Bella to stop shouting at him.

"No, I don't want to listen to you anymore. You're just trying to get your way back into my life, and it's not going to work. I don't even know why you would want to be in my life again. You were doing fine without me."

"You don't understand what I went through without you in my life." Edward tried to explain.

"Shut up, and get out of my apartment." Bella demanded.

"Bella, I'm sorry. Please just listen to what I have to say." Edward didn't move from the position on the couch.

"I've already told you I don't want to listen to you. Get the fuck out, now." Bella shouted as she stood up to try and move Edward herself.

Edward was quiet, and so was I. I had never seen Bella so angry before in my life; it was surprising to see her this way, but I wasn't expecting her to be kind to Edward.

I stood up alongside Bella, and kept her from going after Edward.

"Edward, will you please leave?" I asked quietly.

Edward looked at me with a grief stricken face. I moved to the front door, and opened it for him. Bella moved away from Edward, and was staring out of the window by her balcony.

"I will never give up on you, Bella." Edward said quietly as he moved toward the door.

"You already have." Bella whispered.

Edward walked out of the door slowly, and I closed it behind him. I knew he would be back, but at least for now Bella wouldn't have to deal with him.

I approached Bella slowly, and touched her on the shoulder.

"Are you alright?" I asked her.

"Yeah, I'm okay." Bella turned around and faced me. There was a look of sadness on her face.

"I hate to say this, but I know he will be back." I told her.

"Yeah, I know. It's just something I'm going to have to deal with. I can't control what he does, but I'm not going to let him come back into my life just like that. I'm not going to be an idiot; I wasn't waiting all this time for him. Does he really think of himself that highly? Edward needs to get over himself."

I smiled and said, "I'm glad I'm not the only one who feels that way."

"How do you think he found us?" Bella asked.

"He must have been in the forest, or caught onto our scent. Maybe he followed us from the forest to your apartment. I have a feeling Jacob may have led him in this direction."

Bella sighed, "I still have to deal with Jacob too. Edward might go back to him and tell him what happened."

"It's okay Bella, nothing bad is going to happen to you. I'm here by your side."

"Great, they'll probably both come knocking on my door within the next day. Why do so many people have to fight over me? I'm not that spectacular."

"Of course you are Bella. You don't know what you have." I pulled Bella into a hug.

"I'm just an average girl. I don't want either of them; I only want you."

"I love you, and you love me. I feel lucky to be the object of your affection. You could have anyone you want, but you picked me."

"I've always loved you, and I'm glad you came back for me. I don't know what I would do without you."

"I'll always be by your side. Nothing will take me away from you again. Let's enjoy this little bit of peace we have before Edward decides to bring company."

I kissed Bella tenderly on the lips, taking in every moment I had with her. We had this moment of peace, but I knew it wasn't going to last long. Edward was going to come back; it was inevitable. If only he was selfless enough to leave our relationship alone.

We would just need to learn how to live our lives happily with Edward trying everything he could to tear us apart.

That doesn't seem too hard…

* * *

**A/N: A chapter for the week. Thank you for all of the reviews and alerts, I really wasn't expecting this much attention, but it is flattering. Hopefully, this isn't a cliffhanger, although I seem to do those a lot. By the way, happy late Valentines day. If you didn't have a good one, then Valentines day sucks anyway. :)**


	14. Chapter 14

The next few days that past were filled with anticipation. We both kept wondering when and if Edward would show up again, but as of yet nothing had happened.

Bella was worried that Edward was planning to do something bad, and I had to keep reassuring her that nothing would come between us. I wanted Bella to believe me, but no matter what I tried to tell her, she wouldn't stop worrying.

We never got back to where we left off before Edward came, and the sexual tension was building up inside of me. I've never wanted a person so much in my life, but it didn't feel right to push anything on Bella at this time.

I would just have to be a good girl and wait until the right time came; hopefully that would be soon.

I was now sitting on her balcony, enjoying the rare sunny day, while Bella was inside her apartment, working on another article. I wanted to give her some peace, so I decided that sitting outside would be the best way for her getting quiet time.

The shade was covering me from the sunlight, so if anyone were to see me, I wouldn't look like I had just come from a glitter party. I never really liked shining in the sunlight; it was such a problem.

I was contemplating calling Jasper to see if Edward had any contact with them recently. My cell phone was in my hand and I had Jaspers number entered in my phone, all I had to do was press call.

For Bella's sake, I wanted to find out what was going on. If it was up to me, I wouldn't give a damn what Edward planned to do. I know what I wanted, and I know Edward was tricky. He will try to pull every move he can think of to get Bella back, but I wasn't going to let it happen. Bella needed to understand that I wasn't going to let it happen, but I know she still had her doubts.

I sighed, and pressed the call button on my cell phone. I put the phone against my ear as I heard it start to ring.

"Alice?" Jasper picked up after only one ring.

"Hey Jasper, how is everything?" I asked.

"Everything is okay I suppose. I heard that Edward stopped by."

"Yes, he did. I was calling to see if he had come back you guys?"

"Yes, Edward has come back to us. He told us what happened, and how he found out that you and Bella are now in a relationship. Edward wasn't very happy when he came homee."

"I'm sure he wasn't. Bella won't stop worrying about what Edward is planning to do to try and break us up. I really don't want her to worry anymore, so I was wondering if you have heard anything regarding Edwards plans?"

"Oh, yes. I've heard plenty from Edward. I know you're not going to like the sound of this at all, but Edward wants to move back to Forks."

I wasn't surprised to hear that, only annoyed.

"Of course he is. Anything to be closer to his long lost love." I said to Jasper.

"That's not all Alice. He wants us to move back with him. Edward claims that he has missed us, and wants to be part of the family again. We're all coming back to Forks."

Now that surprised me.

"Why all of you? Why did you even agree to it? You know Bella's father is the chief of police there. He is going to come looking for answers."

"We know, but Carlisle and Esme want to come back. They also want to see Bella."

"Bella doesn't live in Forks."

"That's why they wanted me to ask you if you two would come visit us one day. We all miss you Alice, and Bella too."

"I miss you guys too, but don't you see this is what Edward wants? He is trying to manipulate us." I tried explaining to him.

"I know, but he can't tear you two apart. Only you two can let that happen. If you both love each other, then why let Edward come in between you two? You don't have to keep running away from him, show him how much you really love each other. If you keep running away, he is going to keep coming after you because you're making it seem like there is a reason for you to stay away. If you love each other, then confront Edward with your love, no one can tear you apart if you're truly made for each other."

"Where did that come from?" I asked Jasper after a minute of silence, surprised about his response.

"I don't know. I just want you to come back; you're a part of family as much as Edward is. Just because you're the one with Bella now, doesn't mean we're kicking you out. Please, will you come see us when we move back?"

"I have to talk about this with Bella. I can't make the decision without her."

"Well talk to her, and call me back when you know. Carlisle and Esme really want to see the both of you. It can be like old times again."

"I'm not so sure about that." I said to Jasper.

"Just ask Bella, and call me back when you can." Jasper replied.

"Okay, I'll call you later. Bye Jasper, I miss you guys too."

"Bye Alice." Was the last thing Jasper said before I hung up.

I set my phone against the table, and thought about what to do.

I wanted to see my family again, and I'm sure they wanted to see me. I just don't know how Bella would feel about it. I don't want to ask too much of Bella, but I do want to tell her.

Jasper was right about Edward though. If we kept hiding from him, he would think there was still hope for him. If we ignored Edward, and pretended like he didn't bother us, then what reason would Edward have to try and break us up?

I heard motion coming from inside Bella's apartment, but I didn't bother to move my position. I didn't know what to do about the situation, but I was leaning more toward telling Bella about what I found out.

I had to tell her that Edward was moving back to Forks at least. She deserved to know that.

I had a suspicion that someone was behind me, and that's when I felt Bella's small hands touch my shoulder.

I turned around slowly, and looked up to see Bella smiling at me.

"What's going on?" She asked me.

"Well, I just got off the phone with Jasper, and found out some things that you need to hear."

Bella nodded her head, and took a seat next to me.

"Tell me what happened." Bella sounded annoyed.

"Edward went back to my family, and he told them that he wants to move back to Forks."

"I kind of thought he was going to do that."

"Apparently, he made up with my family, so now my entire family is actually moving back to Forks, and they want to see you."

Bella looked at me for a few seconds in disbelief.

"Isn't that lovely." She finally replied.

"My family isn't the enemy, Bella. They deserve to be forgiven too. You've forgiven me, why not them too? They really do miss you."

"I don't know Alice. I need to think about all of this. It's too sudden for me to process. If you'll give me some time to think about it, I'll let you know for sure when I figure it out."

"That's not a problem with me. You can take all the time that you want. I'm enjoying my alone time with you."

"I am too. I'm just afraid that at any minute Edward is going to come storming through the door."

"That's not going to happen, Bella. Jasper was telling me if we keep running from Edward, he is just going to keep chasing us. We have to stop running if we want any kind of peace together. That is the only way to make Edward stop. If he loves you like he claims that he does, then he will want you to be happy. At least consider that when you're thinking about what to do."

Bella just nodded her head. She wasn't going to say anything back to me; that's just how she was. Bella always liked to think before she spoke, so I was going to let her think all she wanted.

I grabbed Bella's hand, and kissed her lightly on top. "I'll let you think about it, but let me know when you decide. I'm going to go help myself to some of the blood you have in the fridge; it's too sunny to risk going hunting today."

Bella looked at me, and nodded her head again. I walked inside, and headed toward her fridge.

I took out one of her containers of blood, and reached for a glass out of her cupboard. I slowly poured the liquid into the glass as the smell invaded my nostrils.

Bella had enough blood to go for a month without hunting. It was convenient to have blood on days like this. I wish it were safe to go outside today, but there were too many people out enjoying the weather.

I stared at Bella from my place in her kitchen. I slowly took a sip of blood, and felt my hunger begin to die down.

She was still sitting in the shade, thinking about what to do. I could tell from the look on her face, that she wasn't happy about the choices she had to make, but I didn't want to make any decisions for her.

I noticed that part of Bella's arm was caught in the sunlight, and it was sparkling just like mine would have. It was beautiful to see on Bella; I found it hard to take my eyes away from her.

We all had hurt her so much in the past, why would she want to ever see my family again? I wouldn't blame her if she said she didn't want to see them again, but she gave me another chance. We broke Bella once, but she still cared about us. The love never went away, no matter how hard she tried to deny and hide it. It made me sad to know that I left someone who cared about me so much.

Bella was unique for still loving me. I was lucky to have found her, but I was blessed when I discovered that she loved me back.

I really do love her; I would do anything for her. I hoped Bella believed that. I didn't want Edward to shadow my love for her. I had a right to love Bella; it didn't matter whether Edward had her first. She wasn't his property, Bella had free will and she picked me.

I took another drink, and set my glass down against the counter top.

Bella looked back inside the house to see me staring at her. I smiled when she looked at me.

I leaned against the counter, but continued to look at Bella.

She slowly got out of her seat, and came inside the apartment. I watched as she approached me without saying a word.

She stopped a couple of feet away from me, and stared at me. It looked as if she was unsure of what to say.

"I want to go see your family." She said quietly.

I smiled and replied, "That's great Bella. I'm glad you do."

"How's the drink?" She asked me, looking at the glass of blood.

"Very good. Would you like some?"

By the time I finished asking, Bella had already taken the glass and started drinking from it. She finished the rest of the glass for me, while I just watched her.

"That feels much better." Bella said after she set the glass down.

"Maybe you just needed a drink to relax." I joked.

"I think I need you to really be relaxed." Bella replied shyly.

"Oh really? And how do you need me to relax you?" I teased.

It took a while for Bella to answer me, thinking of what she was going to say. I could tell she was fighting with herself again, but I wanted her to make the decisions, not me.

"I need your body. I've been waiting so long, and I can't take it much longer. I'm getting really frustrated." Bella shuffled uncomfortably, obviously nervous of what she was saying.

I loved how adorable she looks when she was shy. I've seen her be aggressive, and I've seen her be shy when it comes to being physical. I guess she was shy because we haven't discussed the matter of sex in a few days.

"I can relate to how you feel. I've fantasized about you for more than five years. I'm really pent up." I smiled at Bella, taking a step closer.

Bella took a few steps closer toward me, and reached out for my arm. Once she got hold of me, she pulled me to where our bodies were brushing against one another.

"Do we really need to wait any longer? I really want to have you, Alice." Her eyes closed, and she licked her lips. Her shyness was slowly fading.

"I know its torture to wait." My hands lightly touched Bella on the waist, as I began to play with the hem of her shirt.

"I don't want to be teased anymore. My fantasies won't cut it anymore. I need the real thing. Please, Alice? I'm ready. Let's just have this moment for us before we have to go back to reality." Bella was begging me.

My hands brushed their way up underneath Bella's shirt, as I lightly caressed the sides of her stomach. Bella responded with a light gasp, as her smile turned into one of delight.

My mouth moved to her neck, where I began to lightly suck on her pulse point. Her hands squeezed me tighter as I did so. I moved my tongue around her scar, making sure to be as delicate as I could. It seemed to only make Bella feel more pleasure.

My mouth moved to her ear lobe, where I lightly sucked against it. I felt her neck vibrating as a small moan escaped her mouth.

"Please Alice, will you make love with me?" Bella asked me finally.

"You don't know how long I've wanted to hear that." I said in-between kissing her earlobe.

I picked up Bella from the waist, and she wrapped her legs around my waist. I began walking toward her bedroom as she continued to kiss me. Once I finally reached her bedroom, Bella took the extra time to slam the door shut behind us.

* * *

**A/N: Just a filler chapter, and I apologize for what may seem like yet another cliff hanger, but I will make up for it next chapter ;) I must thank everyone who has taken an interest in this story, it really makes me believe that I don't write too terrible. **

**And to the person with the pen name shounenshoujocadet, I attempted to reply in a pm, but your pm's are disabled, therefore I'll just answer your question now. I go to Texas State University, and so does all of my money.**

**ENJOY...**


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N: I'm just warning everyone that this chapter contains sexual content, and if you do not wish to read that sort of material, then I would suggest you do not read this chapter. **

**Inspiration from this chapter came from the song Let's Get It On by Marvin Gaye...**

**Okay, that was a joke. Just read the chapter you perverts.  
**

* * *

Bella wrapped her arms around my neck, after the door slammed behind us. My hands were gripped around Bella's backside, as I slowly walked over towards her bed.

Her scent invaded my nose as she began to kiss me against the neck. I felt Bella's tongue dart across my neck, and I shivered in delight. I've been waiting for this moment for a very long time, and it was finally about to happen.

I was finally going to make love to the girl that I loved.

I became instantly turned on, feeling tingling in places that were meant for Bella only.

My legs finally hit the edge of the bed, and I pushed Bella's body back, making her land on the bed with me on top of her.

It was a rough landing, but Bella seemed to like it.

I reached for her lips, and connected them with mine. I put as much passion into the kiss as I could. My hands dragged slowly down her body, letting my fingers delicately massage her torso.

I felt her squirming beneath me, and could feel her smile against my lips.

The hem of her shirt lifted slightly, allowing my fingernails to gently scrape her bare flesh. I felt Bella's body stiffen, and a heard a soft moan escape her lips.

Her eyes shut, and her grip on me tightened slightly. I was teasing her torso with my nails, making her want me more as the seconds went by. I inched my hands slowly up her blouse, making sure to be very delicate. It seemed like the lighter I touched her, the more it made her squirm.

"Do you like that, Bella?" I looked into her eyes, and whispered.

Her eyes slowly opened, giving me a look of lust. "Yes, please don't stop." She whispered back to me.

I smiled at her, showing all of my teeth, and then focused back on pleasing her.

I slowly positioned myself on top of Bella, and reached for the buttons on her shirt. One by one I slowly undid the buttons, staring at Bella while she watched me.

My hand slid up the middle of Bella's stomach, pushing the fabric out of the way as I went along. Once the distracting fabric was out of the way, I found that Bella was wearing a black, lace bra. It just happened to be the one that I had given to her a couple of weeks ago.

"You're actually wearing something I gave you?" I asked, mocking surprise.

"This is the only exception." She simply replied with a smile on her face.

"It looks incredible on you, but right now it's blocking my view." I said, as my hands went back to her stomach, and caressed the bottom of her breast.

Bella just smiled, and let me continue what I was doing.

I pushed the fabric of her shirt down her arms, while Bella adjusted her body so the shirt was now completely off of her.

Her scar was very apparent, and it was still shocking for me to look at the entirety of it. My fingers moved to her scar, and lightly traced the jagged pattern it made down her stomach. She was and would always be beautiful to me.

I glanced toward Bella's face to find her looking at me with worried eyes.

I chose not to say anything; instead I moved my head down and kissed her scar carefully.

I felt her hand touch the top of my head, and I looked up to see her staring at me. She had the strangest look in her eyes, almost like she looked sorry that she had the scar in the first place.

I wanted her to know that I would love her no matter what; this scar she had didn't make my love for her any less.

My head slowly moved back up to her face, and I kissed her gently on the lips. Bella eagerly replied to my kiss, as she began to suck on my lower lip.

My hands moved back down her body, and I reached for the button on her jeans. I tugged at the button, and it finally came undone.

Another tingling sensation went through my body, and if I could blush, I would have been scarlet.

Bella was making me hot without having to do anything.

The zipper of her pants went down easily. My hands reached the hem of her pants, and I moved my fingers beneath the fabric slightly as I began to slowly pull off Bella's pants.

My nails barely touched the skin on her legs as I slowly pulled her pants completely off. Her legs jerked slightly at contact, and I couldn't contain my smile.

"Wow" I heard Bella whispering to herself.

"I haven't even gotten to the good part yet." I whispered back to her.

Bella just looked, and smiled.

I was anxious to please Bella, but I wanted to make it good. I wanted to make her ache with anticipation, and it seemed to have been working.

After I tossed her pants aside, I focused my attention on her panties, which were also black with a lace fabric.

My hand moved over her panties, and I gently set it down against her sex.

I could feel everything Bella had; only this small piece of fabric stopped me from going any further. The delicate folds of Bella lay right beneath my finger tips; all I had to do was move her panties out of the way.

I glanced back at Bella, to see her look at me with anticipation. I felt her body tense up, and I wondered if she had ever been touched here before.

"Are you okay, Bella?" I asked.

"Yes, I'm more than okay." I heard her voice hitch; she was obviously nervous.

I moved my eyes back towards where my hand rested, and contemplated if I should actually take her panties off or not.

Bella suddenly grabbed my t-shirt, and pulled me closer to her. I was pushed harder against her body, a sensation that we both appreciated.

Her hands were tugging at my shirt, trying to pull it off me, and I started to help her out. I guess I didn't have to worry about whether she was ready or not.

I pushed up my shirt, while Bella pulled it off and over my head. It was all about teamwork.

Once Bella had my shirt in her hand, she tossed it to the side and focused back on me. I was wearing a dark violet bra, which contrasted well with my skin tone.

"You have such a beautiful body." Bella told me quietly.

"As do you." I replied.

Her hands moved around my back, and reached for the hook of my bra. It was unclasped quickly, and I felt the straps conform to gravity as it pulled away from my body.

The bra slid down my arms slowly, as my chest was revealed to the eyes of my lover.

Hey eyes grew wider as she stared at my chest. It reminded me of how guys liked to stare at chests, instead of looking the girl in the eyes. I laughed as I watched Bella slowly start to smile.

"Do you like what you see?" I asked her.

Bella just nodded her head, still with a smile on her face.

Her hands didn't wait for her eyes, because while she was still staring at my chest, I felt her working on unbuttoning my jeans.

I glanced down and saw that she was already trying to pull down my pants.

"Hold on, let me help you out." I replied as I squirmed to get out of my jeans.

Bella waited patiently for me, until I finally was able to pull off my jeans. I was left only in my panties now.

I moved in to kiss Bella against the lips, and as I did so my hand moved back to her bra. It wasn't fair that I was the only one naked; I wanted to see her body too.

I unhooked her bra while we were still lip locked, and as I came out of the kiss I pulled her bra up with me.

I was smiling like a fool when I saw Bella's chest. Her arms pulled slightly over her chest, but I stopped her from doing so.

"Bella, you're beautiful. Don't be ashamed of your body, it's wonderful."

I moved her hands, and placed them against my body. Once I let go, she didn't fight to hide her body again.

I leaned against Bella, placing my chest against hers. She was so soft to lie against; it felt wonderful to be this close to her.

My lips found her neck, and I slowly began to kiss against it.

Bella's hands moved around my back, and I felt her move her nails slowly across my back.

I stopped and shuddered. I don't know why nail scraping feels so good, but it felt like an orgasm itself.

Bella laughed at my reaction. "So you like that too?" she asked.

"Yes, very much so." I said while my head was buried against her neck.

Bella continued to massage my back for a while, and I resumed kissing her neck. We started to have this rhythm, when she moved her hand down I sucked on her neck, and when she moved her hand back up, I released her skin.

Bella stopped caressing my back, and moved her hands down toward my butt. Her hands slipped inside my panties, and touched my bare skin.

I could feel her pulling my panties down, and I allowed her to do so. I moved my legs in a way that helped push my panties further down my legs, and I stopped kissing Bella long enough to pull my panties completely off.

I wasn't afraid to show myself to her, however I knew she was a little timid in showing her body.

Bella bit her lip slightly as she looked my body up and down.

"Are you sure you want to do this Bella?" I asked one last time to make sure that she was certain.

"Yes, I really want to do this." She replied.

I placed my hand against her panties, and pulled them down her legs slowly. She kicked the panties off her legs, and they fell to the floor with a soft thud.

Her body was beautiful, more than I had imagined.

I just looked at Bella for a couple of minutes, admiring every inch of her body. I could feel her looking at me, and when I looked up to meet her eyes she had a worried look on her face.

"You're so beautiful Bella, you have nothing to be worried about." I placed my hand on her hip, and she flinched slightly.

"Does that tickle?" I asked with a smile on my face.

"No" Bella lied.

I moved my fingers slightly against her hip, making her squirm even more. A smile spread across her face, and she began to laugh.

"Okay, I'm ticklish there. Please stop!" Bella laughed.

I smiled, and obliged. "You can't fool me Bella."

"I can try." Bella replied.

I moved my body over Bella's, and placed my elbows on either side of her. Her arms wrapped around my back, as I leaned in to kiss her.

Her hands found my hair, and she held my head steady.

Slowly, but surely I moved my head down her body, kissing her neck, then the top of her chest.

I hesitated at first, but I reached a hand out and lightly caressed Bella's chest.

Her lips opened slightly, and her eyes closed. I was barely touching her breast, but it seemed to have sent a wave of pleasure throughout her body.

I believe that being delicate with Bella would lead to the most satisfying outcome for the both of us.

My mouth moved over the nipple of her other breast, and I lightly began to lick and suck.

Small whimpers escaped Bella's mouth, and invaded my ears.

This only turned me on even more.

After a couple minutes of teasing, I decided to move my head even slower. I found myself kissing around her belly button, edging closer and closer to where I really wanted to be.

Bella was becoming tenser by the second. Her body was stiff; she was waiting for me.

I stopped kissing her, and looked at Bella one last time before I continued.

Bella's eyes opened, and she looked at me. I knew in that moment that she wanted me, and I wasn't going to stop.

Without further hesitation, I moved my mouth against Bella's sex, and my tongue darted out against her.

Bella sounded shocked as I heard her gasp. Her hands gripped the bed sheets in the heat of the moment.

I could certainly tell that no one has ever touched her here. Unless I was just that good…

I laughed through my mouth, and the vibrations made Bella squirm even more.

I moved my tongue over her clitoris, which was my main focus. I knew this is where she wanted me to touch her from the reactions I received.

My tongue moved up and down, left and right, as I gave her everything that I had.

It didn't take long for Bella to climax. Considering that this was her first time, I wasn't surprised.

Her hips suddenly jerked up, slightly pushing my face away. I looked up to see Bella's mouth hanging open, with a look of pleasure upon her face.

I've never been so turned on before in my life. The look on her face was the most exciting thing I've ever seen, and to know that I was doing that for her felt amazing.

My mouth remained against her as I watched her come down from her climax. Her eyes were slowly opening back up, and she glanced at me.

I slowly removed my mouth from her, and smiled. "How was it?"

It took her a few seconds to reply, however she did not reply with words.

Bella sat up, grabbed my arms, and pulled me closer to her. She kissed me hard against the lips, and I eagerly replied.

I was gently pushed down against the bed, and now it was Bella's turn to be on top of me.

Her body towered over mine, as I felt her hair tickle my chest. Her eyes were now dark, but they were still amazing to look at.

"I've never done this before." Bella said in a moment of concern.

"Shh, don't worry. I've never done this with a woman before either, just do what you think is right." I told her.

Bella nodded her head, and came closer for a kiss.

I allowed her to experiment on my body, and I wasn't complaining one bit. Her lips against my body felt amazing, and her tongue felt even more incredible.

I knew I would reach my climax in minutes just like Bella had, I had been wanting this for so long and so much that it was hard for me to contain my feelings.

When her tongue reached my sex, I shuddered and moaned. I had no trouble showing how she made me feel; everything she did was amazing.

Every touch, lick, kiss, and suck was the best pleasure I had ever felt before.

I felt my orgasm coming on just like I had expected, and it was the greatest feeling I've ever had.

"Bella" I whispered as I felt the relief of years of anticipation finally leave my body. I couldn't stop smiling.

My face was glowing, and was soon met with the lips of my lover. Bella had moved back up to my face, and was smiling as well.

"Did I do okay?" She asked me.

"You were amazing Bella. I love you so much." I replied honestly.

"I love you too, Alice." Bella whispered and came in for a kiss once more.


	16. Chapter 16

Bella was resting her head against my shoulder, tracing patterns with her index finger against my torso.

Her crimson sheets were wrapped loosely around us, covering only our legs. I was enjoying this peaceful moment I had with Bella, because I knew that it was coming to an end.

My hand gently stroked the top of Bella's head, while neither of us spoke. I listened to Bella's soft intake of breath, although Bella knew she didn't need to breath, I don't think she was used to going without breathing.

"I love this feeling." Bella whispered after a few more minutes of silence.

I smiled, and pulled her closer against my body. "I know exactly how you feel."

I felt Bella's fingers pull against me a little tighter as I kissed her against her forehead.

I shut my eyes for a moment, trying to etch this memory in my mind. I had a vision earlier of Jasper calling me, however I wasn't able to hear what it was regarding.

I didn't want my visions to distract me from Bella; this was our time.

I heard vibrating coming from somewhere in the room, and I knew that it was my phone. Bella moaned in annoyance, and I just rubbed her shoulder in comfort.

"I'm sorry." I whispered to her, before I sat up in search for my phone. I took a look at all of our discarded clothes, and found my jeans just below the bed. I saw the light of the phone shining through my jeans, so I reached down to pick it up.

I pulled my phone out of the pocket, and told Bella, "It's Jasper."

She nodded her head slowly, looking sullen.

I put the phone gently against my ear and said, "Hello?"

"What did you do, Alice?" Jasper questioned me immediately.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"Edward is going insane. He told us you did something horrible, but he won't say what it is."

"I didn't do anything horrible, and Edward needs to mind his own business." I explained.

"Edward told us he was going to try to talk to you guys again, and he just came in looking furious. Did you guys tell Edward something?"

"We never even saw Edward, Jasper. He never came to the door." I replied, suddenly realizing he didn't have to come very far to hear what I was thinking.

Jasper was quiet for a second, almost as if he caught on to what Edward was upset about, but he didn't want to say it.

"Did you do something with Bella?" Jasper finally asked.

"That's none of your concern." I replied, but I knew he already knew.

"Edward is really upset, Alice."

"I'm sorry you have to deal with his attitude, but this is my life, not his." I glanced at Bella, to see her looking right back at me.

Jasper was quiet again. I knew he wanted to say something else.

"Are you two coming up here or not? If you don't come here, Edward is going to you. He wants to talk to Bella." Jasper sounded annoyed.

"Yes, we're coming there. Tell that to Edward so he doesn't rush down here again, thinking that we're going to run away. We need to finally get this situation handled. I can't keep having him come after us; he has no business in doing so."

"That's a relief. I can't take much more of this." Jasper said quietly.

"I know, and I'm sorry you've been the middle man. I can't thank you enough for everything that you've done for me."

"Don't worry about it. When can I expect to see you two?" Jasper changed the subject.

I turned to Bella and looked at her questioningly, knowing she could hear our conversation; I wanted to know how she felt.

"Whenever you want." Bella whispered.

I nodded my head and said, "We'll be there tomorrow."

"Great, I can't wait to see you. I'll let the others know, and hopefully this will calm Edward down a little."

"I hope so." I simply replied.

"I'll see you tomorrow then?" Jasper asked.

"Yes, you will."

"Okay, I'll let you go for now. Bye Alice."

"Bye, Jasper." I said quietly, and pressed the end button on my cell phone.

I placed my phone against Bella's bedside table, and slowly slid back into position next to Bella.

"I'm not looking forward to this." Bella told me.

"Neither am I, but I think it will work out for us. If we show Edward we are in love, then what reason does he have to keep coming back to us?" I asked.

Bella was quiet for a minute, thinking about what I've just said.

"I hope you're right." She eventually mumbled.

I hope I am too.

The next morning we were headed back to Forks.

I offered to pay for a rental car so we could drive, but Bella insisted that we walked. She didn't want anyone to see her, and being out on the road was a big risk.

Bella called into her work the same morning, and let them know that she would be out of town for a few days. I didn't think we were going to visit for more than just today, but I think Bella just wanted to have some more alone time with me. No pesky work to bother our alone time; at least for a little while.

"I'm not going to stay long." Bella said as we were finding our way through the forest. I let her lead, since she knew exactly where to go. I was still getting used to this part of the forest.

"I know Bella, I don't expect you to. Let's just take care of business, and get it over with." I replied.

Bella nodded her head, and all was quiet again.

It didn't take long for us to approach the familiar territory I knew as Forks. We were both running at high speed, when Bella suddenly slowed down. I followed her pace and met her speed.

"We're here." She said quietly.

We passed a few trees that eventually led into the clearing of my old house. We had approached the backside of my house, hiding from any sign of human life.

I stopped and looked at Bella, who was looking at me with worried eyes.

My hand slowly moved toward hers, and I grasped it tightly. I wanted to reassure her that it would be okay.

Bella gripped onto my hand, and together we slowly began walking towards my back door.

It was as if we were being watched, because the second we got close enough, Edward opened the door.

He smiled when he saw Bella, but his expression turned into a very different one once his eyes landed on me.

"Hello, Bella. Alice." He nodded in my direction, and then turned his attention toward our entwined hands.

His eyebrows rose slightly, and I just held onto Bella tighter.

Edward looked quickly back up at the two of us; almost like he was hoping what he saw wasn't true.

Right at that moment, Jasper came up behind Edward and I smiled immediately when I saw him.

He glanced at the two of us, his attention mostly focused on Bella as I watched his eyes widen as well.

"It's nice to see you again." Jasper said calmly, though I knew he was surprised to see her.

"It's been a long time." Bella smiled and shrugged her shoulders.

"Please, come in." Jasper moved aside to let us past him. I tugged Bella slightly, and she followed me slowly inside.

Bella and I walked into the living room, and we sat down on one of the sofas. It didn't take long for Edward to come sit on the other side of Bella.

"I have some good news." Edward looked at Bella with a smile on his face.

"What is it?" She replied, trying not to sound upset.

"I found Victoria for you. I'm going to take care of her the right way this time." He said proudly.

"How did you find her?" I asked, trying to get into the conversation.

He looked annoyed, but avoided eye contact with me. "I made a pact with Jacob, and together we looked for ways to find her. I started asking our friends if they have seen anything, and I actually got a lead."

"So that's how you found out where I lived." Bella mumbled.

Edward glanced at Bella, who was looking at our hands that were still entwined.

"I had to find you Bella. Jacob had followed your scent, and agreed to show me where it led. I was lucky to spot you in the forest that day." Edward attempted to place his hand against Bella's back, but she quickly shrugged it off.

"Why did he show you of all people?" Bella asked with anger in her voice.

"Because we both wanted to find you. Two is better than one." Edward replied calmly.

"Where is Victoria?" I asked, trying to change the subject.

"Alaska…don't worry about doing anything though, Jacob and I will take care of it."

I rolled my eyes, and just let it go.

"I can take care of myself." Bella replied coldly.

"Let me help you." Edward stressed.

Bella didn't say anything else. I knew she was becoming upset, and she wasn't going to be able to take much more of Edward pestering her before she exploded.

"Bella! I can't believe it's you!" I loud voice shouted from across the room.

We all looked up to see Emmett walking over toward us.

"Hey Emmett." Bella said quietly.

Once he reached us, he kneeled down to hug Bella tightly, and she responded by wrapping her arms lightly around him.

"I'm so happy to see you again. Hey Alice!" He turned his direction towards me, and I couldn't help but smile.

"Hi Emmett."

Rosalie came in right behind Emmett, and just looked at Bella. I saw a look of remorse in her eyes, knowing that Bella was forced into becoming one of us, and it wasn't by choice. Her eyes flickered to the scar laced around her neck, and then quickly looked back up to her face.

"I'm glad to see that you're not dead." Rosalie said quietly.

"Thanks, I guess." Bella replied.

The couple decided to sit down, and that's when Carlisle and Esme came out. It was like they were all waiting behind the door for their own special entrance.

Esme rushed over to Bella, and hugged her tight. "I can't believe it's you, Bella. I've missed you so much." Esme whispered into her ears.

"I've missed you all too." Bella wrapped her hands around Esme, with a little more comfort than the rest of my family.

Esme pulled back, and then turned her attention towards me. She pulled me into a hug and asked, "How are you doing? I'm glad you've come back to us."

"I'm doing well." I replied, while hugging her back.

Carlisle was already greeting Bella while I was speaking with Esme.

"It's good to see you again, Bella. I thought I would never get the chance again." I heard Carlisle say.

"I didn't think I would see any of you again either." Bella shrugged her shoulders, squeezing my hand tighter. Her voice was soft; I couldn't place any emotion to it.

I smiled at her gesture, and I saw Edward glaring at me from the corner of my eye.

"Now I know things are a little difficult with what's happened, but please let's not let that get in the way of this happy reunion. We have Bella back in our lives, and I know everyone has missed her. Let's just enjoy ourselves tonight, and not let any conflicts stand in our way." Carlisle glanced at Edward, and then at me.

"I have no conflicts." I said quietly.

Edward looked at me like he wanted to say something, but kept quiet.

I pulled Bella closer to me, and she eagerly complied. Her head rested slightly against my shoulder, and I couldn't help but smile knowing that this time, Bella was my girlfriend.

Edward stood up quickly from our side, and began walking away from all of us.

"I can't stay here, I need to go hunting." Edward mumbled to us.

Carlisle nodded his head, and allowed Edward to leave. I knew it was difficult for Edward to see us together, but this was just the way it was now. He had his time with Bella, but now things were different.

Carlisle wasn't going to push Edward to stay; it would cause unnecessary drama. Edward slammed the door behind him, and everyone tried their best to ignore it.

"So, how have you been doing Bella?" Carlisle asked Bella as he took the seat where Edward just was.

"I've been doing alright. I have my own place on the outskirts of Seattle, and I've managed to get a job as a writer for a local paper." Bella replied shortly, obviously uncomfortable with what just happened.

"That's wonderful news Bella. I'm glad that you've made a life for yourself. I'm sorry we couldn't be there for you when you needed us the most." Carlisle cut right to the chase.

Everyone was silent. Bella shifted uncomfortably in her seat, moving just slightly closer toward me and away from Carlisle.

"It's okay, I managed alright by myself." Bella replied quietly.

"I'm sure that you did, but it must have been difficult at times."

"Yeah, it was sometimes." Bella admitted.

Carlisle nodded his head and smiled, "It's good to have you back with us. We have missed you. Hopefully this time we will not part ways." His hand carefully reached around Bella's back, and rubbed her shoulder lightly.

"You don't have a reason this time." Bella said, with a hint of spite in her voice.

No one responded to her; everyone just looked at her with sympathetic eyes. It was like we were all having a pity party for Bella, and I could tell that Bella was uncomfortable with the entire situation.

Bella sighed loudly and then said, "If I'm going to get used to being with you guys again, you can't keep feeling sorry for me. Please, can we move on? I'm tired of hearing about how sorry everyone is. It is what it is, and there's nothing you can do to change what happened."

It took a while before anyone replied. I'm guessing that they were shocked with Bella's blunt honesty.

"We can certainly do that." Esme finally spoke up.

"Good" Bella smiled a genuine smile in Esme's direction.

This seemed to have lifted the mood of the room to an extreme. Everyone was careful and cautious with Bella, not knowing how to respond. Once Bella admitted how she felt, everything seemed to just fall into place.

The only one who wasn't there was Edward, and I knew things could never fall back into place with him and Bella.

Bella was my girlfriend now, and Edward would just have to learn to live with us. Hopefully it won't be too hard for us, but I already know I am wrong. We are dealing with Edward, after all.

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**A/N: I apologize for the delay with this chapter, it was a busy week. I hope to update sooner with the next chapter. Thank you all for even reading this story. It's nice to know people enjoy this fic.**


	17. Chapter 17

Bella and I spoke with my family for a while longer. She was slowly starting to become more comfortable with everyone, but I knew that she wasn't going to be her normal self around us for a long time.

Carlisle asked me if I would ever consider moving back in with the family, but I didn't know what to say. It wasn't my place to answer.

I wanted to be with Bella, and I knew living here would be impossible for her. Edward would be here, and her father lives in the same town. There is no way it would work out for her.

"I think it's best that Bella and I be on our own for a while." I replied to Carlisle after a while. Bella looked at me, and smiled slightly. I knew she didn't want to move in the same house as Edward; we would never have time for ourselves. Edward would always be there, chasing after Bella like a puppy.

Carlisle nodded his head. I could tell he wasn't happy about our choice, but he understood my reason behind it.

We were now back in my old room, gathering some of my belongings to take to Bella's apartment.

Bella was sitting on my sofa, watching me pack my clothes with cautious eyes. I knew something was on her mind, but I wanted to wait to see if she would say anything first.

"Am I keeping you from your family?" Bella asked me after a few more minutes of silence.

"No, you're doing no such thing." I replied as I was pulling clothes out of my closet.

"It seems like I am. I don't want to keep you away from them." Bella said slowly.

I stopped packing my clothes, and I turned my attention toward Bella, who was staring at the floor.

"Bella, if I wanted to see my family, I could see them whenever I want. I've had plenty of time with them, and all I want right now is to be with you. I just found you, and I'm not going to give you up again. We need time for us, not with my family." I approached Bella, and placed my hand lightly against her shoulder.

She looked up at me, and touched my hand lightly. "I love you." Bella said in a whisper.

"I love you too." I replied, and leaned down to kiss her.

Right after I kissed her, there was a commotion outside, and we heard shouting.

"When will he get over himself?" I moaned in frustration, knowing that Edward was the one shouting.

"Never." Bella smiled weakly.

We stayed in my room to finish my packing, but were soon interrupted with a knock on the door.

"Who is it?" I asked, not approaching the door just yet.

"It's me." Edward said on the other side of the door.

I glanced at Bella, who just shrugged and nodded her head.

"You may come in." I said with a monotone voice.

Edward opened the door quickly, and I noticed that he wasn't alone.

Jacob came in right behind Edward, and they both looked pissed off.

I rolled my eyes, and turned to see how Bella was reacting. She just gave me an annoyed look on her face; we both knew they were here to cause drama.

"Hi Bella." Jacob said with a small smile on his face.

"Hey Jake, how are you?" Bella asked quietly.

"I'm doing well, now that I got to see you again." Jacob approached Bella, and gave her a hug. She hugged him lightly back.

"What do you guys want?" I asked, trying to get to the point.

Both of them turned to me, and gave me a dirty look. I just raised my eyebrows, and waited for a response.

"We wanted to talk to Bella about Victoria." Edward finally replied.

"What is it?" Bella asked, and the boy's attention turned back to her.

"We want your permission to go take care of her." Jacob was the one to speak this time.

I studied both of the boy's faces, and they looked so eager to please Bella. Almost like they would do anything to get her attention. They were lovesick over her.

"I don't need your help. I can handle my own business." Bella said.

"Please Bella. Let us do this for you. I need to do this." Edward moved closer to Bella. I wanted to step in-between Bella and Edward, but I forced myself to stay on the side.

"Why do you have to do this?" Bella asked, staring Edward straight in the face.

"Because I need to make things right with us. It's my responsibility to keep you safe, and Victoria is the only threat in your life right now."

"This isn't a competition for my love, you know? I'm with the person I love, and nothing you can do will make me change my mind." Bella replied.

"I'm not giving up on you, Bella." Edward said with a determined look on his face. He slowly started to move away from Bella, realizing that trying to be the hero wouldn't work for him.

Jacob just stood there, and watched Edward with intense eyes. I knew he loved Bella too, but he wasn't saying anything. I wondered what would happen once they killed Victoria. Would they go back to being rivals for Bella's love, or will they remain friends? Maybe they will fall in love with each other and forget about us…

I smiled at my last thought, and both of the boys looked at me.

"Do you find something funny?" Jacob asked me with anger in his voice.

"No, I was just thinking about something else. I'm sorry." I replied, removing all signs of humor from my face.

Jacob's eyes flickered back to Bella, who happened to be looking at me curious eyes.

"Will you let us handle her, Bella?" Jacob asked.

Her attention quickly turned to Jacob, and she sighed uncomfortably. "I don't care what you do anymore. Just know that you can't change who I love, no matter what you do. I love Alice, and that's just the way it is. I'm sorry I hurt you Jacob, but I can't help the way I feel."

"I know Bella. I just want to help you." Jacob said quietly.

At least Jacob knew when to step away.

My eyes fell upon Edward, who was standing quietly in the corner of the room. He looked so tortured, I almost felt sorry for him. Almost…

"Thank you." Bella said quietly, first looking at Jacob, and then quickly glancing at Edward.

Jacob looked at me, and nodded his head, before walking towards Edward. Edward kept his eyes on Bella as Jacob approached him.

"Come on, let's go." Jacob said quietly to Edward.

"I won't give up on you, Bella." Edward said, before turning to walk out the door. My door closed quietly behind them, and I looked back in Bella's direction.

"I wish he would just let me go." Bella mumbled a few seconds later.

"Don't worry Bella. It's going to be alright." I said quietly, approaching her once more.

I kneeled in front of Bella, placing my hand gently on her knee, and looked into her eyes. Bella's eyes were a light shade of gold now, not as bright as they could be, but they were still beautiful as ever.

Once our eyes were connected; I didn't think I could pull away from her gaze if I wanted to. It was like a trap. Once I caught her gaze, I would forever be stuck there, staring at the beauty contained within.

"Let's go away together." Bella whispered to me after a moment of silence.

I blinked my eyes, coming out of my trance, slowly understanding what she just told me.

I studied her face, and realized that she was being serious. A smile began to form from the corner of my mouth as I said, "Where do you want to go?"

"Somewhere far away from here. I just want to get away from all of this nonsense." Bella's hand touched mine, and she grasped it lightly.

I smiled at the gesture, and reached up to kiss Bella. Our lips connected, and I felt the familiar tingling running throughout my body. Bella was an addiction; I couldn't get enough of her.

"I'll take you wherever you want to go." I said after I pulled away from her lips.

Bella's arms wrapped around me, and pulled me tighter against her. She refused to let me leave her lips alone. My body was pushed against her so hard that I was falling on top of her. Bella's back hit the end of the sofa, and she smiled mischievously.

All we needed was one trigger to turn us on, no matter what had just happened.

My lips found hers once more, and this time with twice the passion as before. Her hands desperately ran over my body, clinging tightly to the hem of my shirt. I felt the force behind her hand, knowing how strong Bella had become; I was becoming soaking wet.

I felt the fabric pulling against my back, as her hands went up my torso from beneath my shirt. I couldn't help the surprised expression on my face; I wasn't expecting Bella to be this…frisky.

Bella continued kissing me, when I felt a vision coming. I stopped kissing Bella, and pulled away slightly. My eyesight was going black, and the last thing I saw was Bella staring at me with a worried face.

In my vision I saw a police car pulling up to my house. I knew right away who it was without even needing to see the person's face.

Charlie stepped out of the cruiser with a sour expression on his face. I'm sure he felt more than bitter toward us; I didn't blame him.

He approached the front door cautiously, ringing the doorbell once and knocking on the door three times.

His face was all business. Charlie wasn't going to let his emotions show through. I knew now where Bella had learned that. It didn't take long for Carlisle to open the door. Carlisle's face did not change in expression either. He kept a cool, calm expression.

"Chief Swan" Carlisle said evenly.

"Carlisle…I'm here to ask you a few questions if you don't mind? About my daughters disappearance."

"Of course, come in." Carlisle stepped aside and allowed Carlisle to enter.

My vision faded, and I was now looking back into the eyes of Bella. She was holding my hand tightly, asking me what I had seen.

I stared blankly at her for a second, before I opened my mouth.

"Your dad…he is coming here."

Bella looked shocked. Her eyes widened, and she shot up off of the sofa almost immediately.

"When?" Bella asked quickly.

"I don't know the exact time, but I'm sure it's going to be soon."

"I can't stay here, Alice. He can't see me." Bella began to panic.

"I know Bella. We'll tell Carlisle what is going on, and I'm sure he will understand. Relax, it's going to be alright." I stood up next to Bella, and together we sought out Carlisle.

Carlisle just happened to be in the first place that we looked, his study. I knocked lightly on his door, and heard Carlisle on the other side saying, "Come in."

I opened the door, and Bella followed right behind me.

"I had a vision that Charlie was coming here to ask you about Bella. We both think it would be best if Bella and I weren't here when he comes." I said immediately, not wanting to waste any time.

Carlisle raised his head from the book he was reading, and looked at us. "I think that would be a good idea. I wouldn't advise you to be here if he is coming; we don't want to risk anything."

"What are you going to tell him?" Bella asked, obviously worried.

"I'm going to tell him that we don't know anything. We never contacted you when we left; it's technically the truth." Carlisle stood from behind his desk, and approached us slowly.

"Everything is going to be fine. He will not find out about you, Bella. You girls should go; I'll contact you when it is safe to come back." Carlisle placed his handed on Bella's shoulder, and patted her lightly.

I turned to Bella and saw that Carlisle's words weren't really helping her. Bella just nodded her head, and focused her attention on me.

"Alight, I'll finish packing my bags quickly and then we will go." I reached my hand out for Bella, and she grabbed it right away.

"I'll let the others know." Carlisle nodded his head in my direction, and I smiled lightly.

"Thank you." I said quickly, before turning to walk out of the door.

I threw all of the clothes I needed on my bed, while Bella worked on packing them in the suitcase for me. Once we finished packing, we wasted no time with trying to leave.

We quickly walked down the stairs, heading for the back door when Jasper stopped us.

"Why don't you take a car? It'll be quicker." Jasper asked.

"We don't want Bella to be seen by anyone though." I explained.

"Just have Bella hide in the back seat, don't go through the town. It'll be okay; you'll get out of here quicker, and have a car for later."

I looked at Bella, who was looking back at me. "He has a point."

"Do you want to risk it?" I asked.

"I could hide in the back, like Jasper said. I think it will work. The windows are tinted too, aren't they?" She asked me.

"Yes, they are. If you're sure, then let's go." I said, moving toward the garage, and away from the back door.

"Thank you Jasper."

"You're welcome, I also wanted to tell you that Edward and Jacob have already left. They went after Victoria." Jasper said.

I stopped for a second; I wasn't expecting them to leave so fast.

"That was fast." Bella said as if she was reading my mind.

"Let them do what they feel is right, I suppose. I'll see you later, Jasper." I said, and opened the door to the garage again.

I wasn't sure which car I was allowed to take. I looked back at Jasper, who was holding out a set of car keys for me.

"Take my car, I don't use it that much." He pushed the keys into my hands, and I took them slowly.

"Are you sure?" I questioned.

"Yes, I am. Now go, you don't want to waste any more time. Charlie could be coming at any minute."

"I can't thank you enough, Jasper." I pulled my arms around him, and gave him a tight hug.

"Don't worry about it." Jasper said quietly.

I turned toward the car in the corner of the garage. It was a Camaro, in all black. The windows were tinted well; I don't think anyone would see us.

Bella rushed over to the car, with my suitcases in her hand. "Come on Alice." She said eagerly.

"Bye Jasper." I said, and began walking toward his car.

"Bye" He replied, and watched as we got in the car, started it up, and pulled out of the garage.

Bella waved to Jasper as we left, but I doubt that he saw anything. From the side mirror, I saw Esme rushing out of the garage, waving bye to us.

I was in a hurry as I drove down our driveway, trying to get onto the main road. Bella was shuffling around in her seat, attempting to climb into the back. I looked to my right to find her butt invading my personal space.

I couldn't help but laugh; and I was tempted to reach out and slap it.

"What are you laughing at? I'm stuck." Bella mumbled, still with her butt in my face.

"Nothing." I said, as my hand reached out for her butt and I pushed her slightly. Bella fell into the back seat, and I just kept laughing.

"That wasn't very nice." Bella said, once she was sitting upright.

"Your butt was in my face, you were distracting me." I said, trying to sound serious.

"Sure." Bella said quietly.

I was able to pull out onto the main road, and instead of going through town, I decided to go the other way. I stepped on the gas as we sped off into the distance. I glanced in my rearview mirror to see Bella's head staring out of the back window.

I knew she missed her father, but there was no way she could show herself to him now. That would be risking too much, for all of us.

"Are you okay, Bella?" I asked, once we were a couple of miles away from her house.

With Bella still looking out of the back window, she replied, "Yes, I'm alright."

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**A/N: Hope you enjoyed the latest chapter. Thanks for reading!**


	18. Chapter 18

I pulled into the parking lot of Bella's apartment complex. Bella didn't say much to me on our way here, and I think I knew why.

I turned the car off, and shifted my body so that I was looking back at Bella. Her eyes were unfocused and she was looking straight ahead.

"You didn't have to sit in the back seat the whole way here." I said.

Bella came out of her trance, focused her eyes back on me and smiled timidly. "Sorry, I was just thinking, and got caught up in my thoughts."

"Are you feeling okay? I know the news about Charlie must have startled you."

"I don't know how I feel. I miss him so much, but I know I can't see him again. It's not fair that you all can see him whenever you want, but I have to stay hidden. I've always thought about showing myself to him. It wouldn't be so hard to now, I've gotten used to the smell of human blood."

"Is that something you really want to do? You know everyone is going to ask questions, what would you tell them?" I asked, trying to make Bella understand the reality of the situation.

"I don't know." Bella sighed, looking away from me.

I opened the door and stepped out of the car, then pulled the back seat forward so Bella was able to get out. I waited for her to get out before I shut the door, and turned to face Bella.

Once I turned around, Bella grabbed me and pulled me into the tightest hug I've ever received from her.

I was surprised, but I pulled my arms tightly around her to hug her back. Maybe she just needed a hug; I was all she had at the moment.

"I miss them so much." Bella whispered in my ear.

"I know Bella. You weren't prepared to leave them behind. I'm so sorry." I pressed my nose against her hair, inhaling her scent while comforting her.

She held me for a little while longer, before finally letting me go. I pulled back to look at her face, which seemed to brighten up a bit.

"Let's go inside. I should start packing my bags for our vacation." Bella began walking away from me, as I watched her walk away.

I couldn't help but stare at her butt when she walked. Bella turned around sharply, and caught me staring.

"What are you doing?" Bella asked.

"Nothing." I said quietly.

Bella motioned with her finger for me to follow her, and I obeyed. Once we got into her apartment, Bella went straight for her bedroom.

I followed her like a good little girl, and she moved into her closet. "So, where does Bella want to go?" I asked, as I followed her into the closet.

"Take me somewhere where no one will find us. I want seclusion, from everyone. I only want to see you, and only you. Preferably without clothing." Bella smiled, showing her pearly whites.

I raised my eyebrows, and returned the smile, "That sounds like a good place to me. My family owns a cabin in Canada; it's in the middle of nowhere. No one is around for miles, you can do whatever you want there."

"Can we leave today?" Bella asked, as she began to pick out a couple of outfits for herself.

"Sure, but why are you packing your clothes? You won't need them."

"Just in case." Bella simply replied.

"It will be nice to get away, but I should let my family know where I am going to be."

Bella sighed, obviously annoyed. "Must you?"

"Well, I don't have to, but what if something happens?"

"Like what? I don't care about Edward and what he does. I just want to be left alone with you. All this time waiting for you, and I can't even have a peaceful moment with you. I want to know what it's like to have a normal day with my girlfriend. I want to have the greatest sex of my life without worrying if Edward will show up, banging on the door. Don't you want that too?" Bella asked.

"Of course I do. How about we leave our cell phones here, and not worry about anyone but ourselves for a while." I reconsidered.

"I like the sound of that idea." Bella smiled, and then continued packing her belongings.

While Bella was packing, I set a new voice message on my phone to let anyone know who called, that I wouldn't get back to them for a couple of days. I didn't say what I was doing; I left out as much information as possible.

My suitcase was still in the Camaro, so I only had to wait for Bella to be ready and then we would be able to leave. I sat on Bella's bed, watching her zipping up her suitcase with a smile on her face.

"For once I'm happy to be leaving my apartment." She told me.

"That's good Bella. We need to get you out of the house more often." I jumped up off of Bella's bed, and took her suitcase for her.

I began walking to the door thinking we were leaving when Bella stopped me. "Wait, I don't want to forget this." Bella went into the fridge and took a couple of containers of blood.

I watched as Bella approached me to place the containers in her suitcase.

"We could always just go hunting while we're there." I suggested.

"No, I don't want to waste any time. How good are the beds at the cabin?" Bella zipped the suitcase back up and handed it to me.

"There is only one bed, my bed. It's the best quality. I got it because I thought that one day I would be able to show you the cabin, and that you would need a place to sleep."

"I don't need sleep anymore, but we will put your bed in good use. I don't plan on leaving it." Bella took hold of my hand, and lead me out of her front door.

I smiled in excitement as I thought of all the fun things we would be doing. The door shut behind us, with both of our cell phones left behind. We would be leaving all contact; it would be just the two of us, enjoying each other's company.

One week later…

Bella and I were leaving the cabin, heading back into reality. I would consider the past week Bella and I had to be the best week of my entire life. Never have I been so in love with someone, Bella was everything I've dreamed of.

We spent most of our week in bed together, doing things I have only ever dreamed about. I didn't know Bella would be such an animal in bed, but you know what they say about the quiet ones. They are the liveliest in bed, and it was true.

Bella had to get back to work, so even though neither one of us wanted to go, I didn't want Bella to lose her job. I knew she didn't have to work, I could always provide money for us, but Bella told me that she liked her job. It gave her a meaning.

The week we had together seemed to make Bella a lot more peaceful. She didn't look so pissed off all of the time. She treated me kindly, and smiled more often. I think I finally got the Bella back that I used to know. Not once did we speak about Edward, or Jacob.

"I really don't want to go back." Bella mumbled against my ear. I was putting our suitcases in the trunk of the car, when she approached me from behind. Her arms wrapped tightly around me, as I felt her body rub against mine.

I smiled, and leaned into her body. "We don't have to go back." I offered.

"I have my job I need to keep, though you make it so very tempting to just quit and run away with you." Bella kissed my neck softly.

"All you have to do is say the word, and we'll be gone. I'll find a place where no one will find us."

"I'll let you know when I'm ready." Bella whispered.

I turned around to face her, and kissed her softly against the lips. "I'll be waiting." I replied.

Bella smiled softly, and kissed me slowly against my lips. Once she pulled away from me, I motioned to the car and she nodded her head.

I began to walk to the driver's side of the car, but Bella wasn't moving. I stopped to see her looking at me with unsure eyes.

"Can I drive?" Bella asked me slowly.

I smiled and replied, "As long as you don't drive like an old man."

Bella smiled, and I tossed her the car keys. She rushed to the driver's side, as I went over the passenger side.

Bella turned on the car, and revved the engine. My eyebrows rose, as Bella put the car into drive, and peeled out of the driveway.

It didn't take long for us to get back to Bella's apartment. Her driving style had changed a lot in the past five years, but I wasn't complaining.

Watching her take control of the wheel was a turn on, but now it seemed like anything that she did turned me on.

I got out of the car once we were parked, and suddenly had an odd feeling. I felt as though we were being watched, and I turned to look at Bella.

She was already opening the trunk, trying to pull out the suitcases.

"Bella, something isn't right. I feel like someone is watching us."

She looked at me with a confused expression on her face, "Did you have a vision?"

"No, I didn't, I just have a feeling that someone is here. Only Edward and Jacob know where you live."

Bella rolled her eyes, and I didn't have to have a vision to know who it was.

Bella jerked the suitcases out of the car, and slammed the trunk shut. "He had better not have gone into my apartment." Bella mumbled as she walked past me.

"We shall see." I said quietly, as I picked up my suitcase and followed her into her apartment complex.

We reached her door, and there was no sign of a break in, but I'm sure Edward knew how to get in without making it obvious.

Bella unlocked her door, and took a step in side. I followed right behind, and when I looked up I saw Edward sitting on Bella's sofa.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Bella shouted as soon as she saw him.

"I tried calling first, no one answered. I have good news." Edward smiled, ignoring Bella's anger.

"You have no right to just come into my apartment, you're breaking the law." Bella slammed the apartment door shut, and dropped her suitcase on the ground.

"I'm sorry, I was just worried about you. I didn't know what was happening with you, so I just came to see." Edward said, trying to sound as sincere as he could.

"Will you stop with the sympathy crap? Just say what you came to say, and get the hell out of my apartment." Bella glared at Edward, challenging him to say something back. She had a comeback ready for anything he was going to say.

"I killed Victoria for you. Jacob and I found her, and I killed her for you. I made sure to burn her body this time, so she won't be coming back to hurt you."

"Where did you find her?" I asked, curious as to why she didn't come back for Bella right away.

"She was in Alaska, trying to get other vampires to follow her. They were planning to come looking for you." Edward wasn't looking at me; all of his attention was focused on Bella.

"Well it's good that you took care of her, thank you." Bella said, calming down a little bit.

Edward smiled the widest smile I have ever seen. It's like he thought Bella would come crawling back to him now.

"Can you leave now? I want to be alone with Alice." Bella asked Edward.

And just as fast at his smile appeared, it dropped. His demeanor change completely. "But I was hoping that we could talk."

"What do we have to talk about?" Bella asked. I knew she didn't want to get into an argument with him, but it wasn't my place to step in for her.

"I just want to talk, like we used to."

"It can't be liked it used to, Edward. Don't you understand? As long as you keep trying to get me to come back to you, I'm just going to keep pushing you away. I don't want to be with you." Bella explained.

"What did I do wrong that Alice hasn't done? She left you too." Edward pointed at me, only glancing at me for a second.

"It's not about who left, it's about who I love. I love Alice, and at least she came back for me."

Edward stopped talking for a minute; he had been caught off guard.

"Exactly how long have you loved Alice? You must have loved her when we were still together, if it didn't matter that she came back first." Edward was starting to put the pieces together.

"I've been in love with her for a long time. I wasn't sure of my feelings when we were still together, but when she left I knew for sure that it had to be love. I wanted Alice to come back for me, and she did."

"So, if I came back first, would things be different?" Edward asked.

"No, I would have still loved Alice." Bella said, trying not to sound so mean.

"I love Bella too, Edward. Whether or not you want to acknowledge me, I wanted to come back for her. You waited until I made a move to come back for her. This isn't a competition for who gets Bella; I honestly love the girl. I came back because I love her, not because someone else decided to try and take her away." I said my piece, trying to get Edward to look at me.

His eyes were downcast, but I knew he was thinking about what I said.

"Do you really love me Edward? Or are you scared that someone will take me away, and leave you with no purpose to your life? It seems like you feel that you have to do things to keep me safe, that you're the saint, and it's impossible to be with you. I'm not human anymore; you don't have to baby-sit me."

"I do love you, and I was only trying to protect you. If I had known Alice was going to take you away from me, I wouldn't have stayed away for so long." Edward chanced a glance at Bella.

"Alice didn't take me away from you; she already had me. You would have stayed away forever if she didn't come back. If Alice hadn't found me first, I eventually would have tried to find her."

I looked at Bella, to see her looking back at me. Her eyes were loving, and I knew for sure that we truly loved each other.

"Is there nothing I can do to make you love me again? I would do anything for you." Edward pleaded with Bella.

"No Edward. I love Alice. Don't try to save me anymore, there is nothing you can do for me."

Edward nodded his head slowly, and started to turn his attention toward me.

"What kind of a sister are you? You stole the love of my life. How does that make you feel?" Edward snarled.

"What kind of a brother are you to take us all away from Bella because you said it wasn't safe. You can't tell me who I can or can't love, and I never stole her from you. I kept my mouth shut the entire time you two were together, but you left her, you weren't her boyfriend anymore. I found her, and I told her how I felt, knowing that you weren't a part of her life anymore. Don't try to make me feel like the bad guy here, I didn't do anything wrong." I became defensive. Edward had no right to get mad at me.

"She wasn't yours to take." Edward said sharply.

"Says who? You? She isn't anyone's property; she can love freely. Enough with the pity party already, no one feels sorry for you." I had done nothing wrong, but poor Edward can cry and whine about losing Bella when he never had her in the first place.

"Will you just leave, Edward? I don't like you treating Alice like that. She has been nothing but good to you. Don't condemn her for loving me." Bella said.

Edward finally looked up at me with fierce eyes, "You're no sister of mine."

And with that said, he stormed out of the apartment. Bella locked the door behind her, and turned to look at me.

"I'm sure he didn't mean that, Alice."

"Yes, he did." I said calmly, soaking in the meaning of what Edward just said.

Bella moved closer to me, grabbing my arms, and pulling me into an embrace. She held me firmly, rubbing my back in comfort.

"You're worth it." I whispered.

Bella pulled her head back to look me in the eyes, "What?"

"You're worth everything. I would give it all up if I could only have you. I love you so much." My hands pulled her body closer to mine, taking comfort in the feeling.

Bella was speechless; she only looked at me with wide eyes.

I closed my eyes, and rested my head against her shoulder.

"I will never leave you Alice. I will always love you." Bella said quietly, still holding onto me.

I believed her.


	19. Chapter 19

A few days had passed since we last saw Edward, and things were starting to get back to normal. Bella went back to her work, and I started moving my clothes into her closet.

I was thinking it would be so much easier if we just moved away, but I couldn't ask Bella to do that. I didn't want to run away from my family either, but Edward was with them.

I loved them all, even Edward, but I felt as long as Edward was there; I would be unwanted. Edward was the golden child, and I was the outcast who took his girlfriend away.

I wanted to contact Carlisle to see how things went with Charlie, but I was hesitant.

I took my time hanging up my clothes in the closet, deciding whether or not I should call.

"What's wrong?" I heard Bella ask from behind me.

I sighed, "Nothing, I'm just being dumb."

"Tell me what it is. Maybe I can help you." Bella approached me, and took my hand in hers.

"I don't know if I should call Carlisle. I want to know what happened with Charlie, and I'm sure you do too."

Bella nodded her head, noting that she did want to hear what was going on with Charlie. "Why don't you know if you should call?"

"Edward is probably there. I don't want anything to do with him right now."

"I don't want you to thinking like that. Even if Edward is there, the Cullen's adopted you as part of the family. You have every right to call; they're your family too. Edward can't keep them away from you. Why not just call Jasper, you know he will let you know what's going on between Edward and Carlisle." Bella suggested.

I smiled softly, realizing that Bella was right. I was afraid to call Carlisle, but he was my adopted father too. I don't know if he related with Edward more though, and that's where my doubt was coming from. "I'll call Jasper. Thank you Bella, you're right."

"I know. I'm always right." Bella smirked, before pulling in to kiss me against my lips.

I followed Bella out into her bedroom, and walked over to her bedside table. I picked up my cell phone, and sat on her bed. Bella came and sat next to me, placing her hand against my knee.

I dialed Jasper's number, and kissed Bella lightly as I waited for him to pick up.

"Alice?" Jasper picked up after a couple of rings.

"Hey Jasper. I was just calling to see how things were going. I wasn't sure if I should call Carlisle or not." I said quietly.

"Why not? Is it because of Edward?" He asked immediately.

"Well, yes. I'm not sure if Edward has been bad mouthing me or not. I have no idea what you've heard, but Edward basically disowned me." I replied.

"What? No, Edward hasn't said anything about that to us. He has just been sulking around like he always does. Carlisle doesn't hate you if that's what you're thinking. We all love you."

I sighed, "That's a relief to know. I wasn't sure, and I'm sorry I didn't call sooner. I was afraid of what Edward might have been saying."

"Don't worry Alice. We know better than to believe in his bullshit anymore. He is jealous of you, and we all know it. None of us hate you for who you love; we are happy for you. Edward gave up Bella, you have every right to be with her."

I looked toward Bella, and I knew she heard everything Jasper was saying. She gripped my knee tightly, and smiled.

"Thank you Jasper. It's good to know that we have your blessings. How did it go with Charlie?"

"As best as it could. Charlie was obviously upset that we decided to come back, and he had a lot of questions for us."

"What kind of questions did he ask?"

"He asked if we knew anything about Bella disappearing, and Carlisle told him no of course. I'm not sure if he believed everything we said, because I could feel he was very angry and tense. He wanted answers desperately, and we weren't giving them to him."

Bella's smile fell, and was replaced with an emotionless face.

"And then Edward showed up." Jasper continued.

My eyes widened, and I turned to Bella who was staring straight back at me.

"What happened?" I asked, not hiding my surprise.

"Charlie threatened him. He told Edward that he knew he ruined Bella's life. He blamed him for everything that went wrong after we left. Charlie was saying that if we never left, Bella would probably still be here."

"She might still be there, but I'm not sure if she would be human." I replied, glancing back in Bella's direction.

"That is very true. Charlie left after he threatened Edward, and gave all of us a warning that he was watching us."

"So I'm assuming that it's not safe to come back to Forks."

"No, unless you come by yourself. I would keep Bella away because we are on watch."

"What if you guys need to go hunting? Is he really watching you that close?" I asked.

"Yes, he is. Emmett caught his cruiser circling our property a couple of days ago. It's not safe for Bella to come here unless she wants to be seen."

"Maybe you guys shouldn't have moved back to Forks. You're not safe there."

"I know, but Charlie will calm down eventually. We wanted to be closer to the two of you."

"It didn't have to be in Forks. You could have moved to Seattle."

"That was an idea, but I believe Carlisle and Esme prefer it here. It's close enough."

"Is Carlisle going back to work at the hospital?" I inquired.

"Yes, he is. I think he wants to become established again, so it looks like we're staying here for at least a few more years." Jasper said.

"Does that mean we can't visit you for the entire time you guys are there?"

"I'm not sure about that. I would stay away for now at least. We can always visit you guys. I've been wondering what your apartment looks like."

I looked at Bella, and she nodded in approval. "We can do that then." I replied.

"I'll let Carlisle know that I've spoken to you, and ask him to give you a call when he can." Jasper said, beginning to end the conversation.

"Alright, thank you Jasper. I appreciate all of your help."

"That's what family is for. Bye, Alice."

"Bye" I said quietly, and pressed the end button on my phone.

"So you've heard everything Jasper had to say?" I turned to Bella.

"Yes, I did. I wasn't expecting my father to be so threatening toward you guys."

"Well, it's understandable. I don't blame Charlie for being as hostile toward us, after all we did leave you behind." I didn't want to bring up the sore subject, but I was only speaking the truth.

Bella was quiet, fiddling with her fingers while looking everywhere else but me.

I waited for her to say something, because I didn't know what to say.

"I feel like an idiot for letting myself become so numb over you. I couldn't help it though; I loved you too much to move on. Either way, it wasn't you who killed me; it was Victoria."

"But if I was there with you, I could have stopped it."

"Alice, don't blame yourself for what happened to me. You had nothing to do with it, and I'm here with you now, so what does it matter whose fault it is? I love you, and I want to move on, away from these past five shitty years of my life. I can have a future with you, and that makes me so happy. I've never been so happy in my life; I have you back when I never thought I would get the chance to see your beautiful face again."

"I would have never stopped looking for you. After I saw your tombstone, I thought I had lost my chance forever, but here we are. I don't want to remember all the bad times; I want to move on just as you do." I replied, grabbing hold of Bella's hand.

"Then be quiet, and kiss me. There is nothing more to discuss." Bella pulled me in against her, and crashed her lips against mine.

I smiled through our kisses, feeling wonderful that Bella only wanted me.

Two weeks later…

Bella and I had fallen back into the same comfortable routine. Neither one of us mentioned Edward or Charlie; it was best that way.

Although I've only been with Bella for a short period of time, I wanted to show her that I was always going to be there for her. I wanted to give her a promise ring.

I decided to go shopping for a ring while Bella was busy with her work. No one knew I was going to get her a ring. I was afraid to tell Jasper for fear that Edward would somehow over hear our conversation, and would then find a way to ruin the surprise.

I knew Bella wasn't a flashy person, so I was looking for something basic, but still beautiful. I wanted to give her diamonds, but nothing too extravagant.

I was browsing through a jewelry store when I found the perfect ring for her. It had a silver band, with a few diamonds spread throughout the width of it. The price wasn't bad either, but when it came to Bella, money wasn't a problem. I would give her anything she wanted.

I bought the ring, and decided to go shopping for some clothes. I knew it would seem suspicious if I went back home without any clothes, and I wanted to surprise Bella. I never go shopping and come home empty handed.

I picked out a few outfits that I knew would look good on me, and I even picked out something for Bella though I doubt she would wear it.

By the time I got home, Bella was waiting for me to arrive. She wrapped her hands around me as soon as I got through the door.

"I've missed you." Bella whispered into my ear.

"I've missed you too. You could have come with me." I smiled.

"No thank you. I will never willingly go shopping with you. We would never leave the store." Bella pulled away from me, but still kept her hands attached to my hips.

"What if I want to dress you in something sexy though? Or better yet, get your opinion on the lingerie I try on."

"You let me know when you go to try on lingerie, and I might change my mind. You'll probably play a trick on me, and get me to try on clothes anyway."

"I wouldn't be so cruel to you." I teased, pulling her hips closer against me. The ring was concealed in one of the shopping bags I had hanging from my arm.

"You know you would." Bella responded.

I tilted my head, and smiled, "You're probably right. Do you want to see what I got? I could try on my outfits for you." I suggested, knowing her answer already.

"No thanks, I'd rather see you without clothes anyway." Bella turned from me, and began walking towards the bedroom.

"Is that an invitation?" I asked, wanting to follow her.

Bella turned when she reached her door, and beckoned me with her finger. "Why don't you come find out?"

A wave of pleasure went straight to my core when I heard Bella. I followed like a lonely puppy, with my bags still in hand.

A few hours later

Bella and I were in bed, relaxing in each other's company. This was becoming a favorite activity for the two of us.

My bags were sitting on the floor beneath me, and I couldn't think of a better time to give Bella the ring.

"While I was at the store, I saw something I couldn't resist getting you." I started to reach for the bag on the floor with the ring inside, when I heard Bella start to groan.

"I told you I didn't want any clothes." Bella said, obviously annoyed.

I picked up the little box with the ring inside, and leaned back up to face Bella who was just staring at me.

"I didn't buy you clothes this time. I thought you might actually like this more." I held out the tiny box in front of her, and slowly opened the top.

I could see the ring glimmering in the reflection of Bella's eyes, as she just stared at it.

I didn't know if she was happy about the ring or not. I moved the ring a little closer to Bella, and she focused her attention towards me.

"What is this for?" Bella asked, surprised.

"It's to show you that I love you, and that I will always be with you. Will you wear it?" I asked, hoping that she would say yes. I know she isn't much for jewelry, but hopefully she will at least put this on.

"I…would love to wear it. It's beautiful." A smile began to form from the corner of her mouth.

I took the ring out of the box, and gently held it out for Bella. She gave me her hand, and I slowly slid it up her ring finger. It fit perfectly.

"A beautiful ring for a beautiful girl. Thank you for wearing it." I told her.

"I should be thanking you. This means so much to me…you didn't have to do this." Bella began, but I cut her off.

"Shh…just wear it for me. I love you, and wanted to do this for you."

Bella smiled and whispered, "Thank you Alice. I love you too."

She admired her ring placed on her finger, and then pulled me into a kiss.

Our relationship was becoming deeper as the days went by. I didn't think it was possible, but I love Bella more each day. No one would get in our way, and I was going to make sure of that.

* * *

**A/N: This fic will becoming to a close within the next couple of chapters. I'm sticking with it until the end, and I hope you are enjoying it so far. Thanks for reading.**


	20. Chapter 20

As the days went by, Bella and I were becoming inseparable. It was hard for me to ever leave her, even if it was just to go shopping. I've never felt love like this; it's such a powerful feeling to have. Bella had my heart, and I knew she would keep it safe.

Bella and I were preparing for my family to come visit us due to the fact that Charlie was still watching them in Forks. I wasn't happy about this, but Edward was coming over as well.

"Are you ready for this?" I asked Bella, as we sat in her living room, waiting for our guests to arrive.

"Not really; I just want to get it over with." Bella was looking at her hand; playing with the ring I gave her.

"Is it because of the ring I gave you that you're afraid?" I asked.

Bella sighed, and looked up at me. "I just don't want anymore drama. I'm so tired of it already. I love your ring though, and I would never take it off."

"I know baby." I paused after I said that, realizing that I haven't really called Bella anything else besides Bella. I wasn't sure if she liked that or not.

Bella was smiling though, "Baby?" she asked.

"Sorry, it just slipped out." I apologized.

"No, it's okay. I don't mind if you call me those kinds of names. I like it."

Now it was my turn to smile. "Okay, that's good. I wasn't sure if you did or not."

"You have to let me call you pet names too."

"What would you call me?" I asked, amused.

"Hmm…how about smoochie cuddle weasel?" Bella suggested.

"Where the hell did that come from?" I asked, laughing at the ridiculous name.

"Just something random, but I'll think of a good pet name for you. Something that suits you well." Bella smiled.

"I'm looking forward to hearing what you come up with."

Bella moved closer toward me, leaned against my ear and began to whisper, "Half the names I can think of aren't considered cute. They are down right naughty."

"Well then I guess we'll have to keep those names in the bedroom." I turned my head to face Bella. She was staring at me, only inches away from my face. She didn't move, as I slowly came in to kiss her against the lips. I pushed hard against Bella, and she began to lean back.

I really wanted to go further with her, but I knew my family was going to be here any second, so just as fast as I went in I pulled back.

Bella looked confused, as I moved away from her.

"I'm sorry, but I don't want to get in the heat of the moment when my family is going to be here. It's so hard to resist touching you right now." I moved myself completely off Bella, but didn't move away from her.

Bella's breathing was heavy as she stared at me. "I understand. I don't want another episode with Edward, but instead have it be your whole family this time."

I nodded my head, "I'll take care of you later tonight."

Bella carefully moved her hand over mine, and placed it gently on top. I smiled, but didn't make any movement toward her.

At that moment, we heard a knock on the door. It made Bella jump slightly because she wasn't expecting anyone so soon.

Bella sat up and I followed her as we walked over to the front door to open it.

Carlisle was on the other side of the door, waiting with a smile.

"Hello girls. It's nice to finally see you two again." He said sounding happy.

"Please come in." Bella opened the door for them to come in.

Carlisle, Esme, Jasper and Edward were the only ones to come.

"Emmett and Rosalie couldn't make it. I wanted them to stay in Forks to make sure everything was going okay with Charlie."

"What do you mean?" Bella asked.

"We just want to keep any suspicions low. It would be dangerous for all of us to leave the house at once." Esme explained as she reached in to hug Bella.

I was hugging Carlisle, thankful that he came along for the visit. Jasper was right, just because I was with Bella didn't make Carlisle love me any less.

"Hi Jasper." I said as he approached us.

"This is a nice place you have here." Jasper smiled at us.

"Thank you. I've worked hard to get it." Bella hugged Jasper lightly.

"Would you like to see the rest of the house?" I offered.

"That would be wonderful." Esme said.

I couldn't help but smile, but then it quickly dropped when I saw Edward lurking in the doorway.

"Let me take you guys on a tour." I said, and they all nodded their head.

"I've already seen your apartment. I think I'll stay here with Bella." Edward said.

I looked toward Bella, whose eyes widened at Edwards comment.

I was about to say something, but Bella stopped me. "It's okay Alice, you can show them the apartment."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, I am. It's all right. Go ahead." Bella said, but I could see in her eyes that she didn't like it.

I looked to the rest of my family, and hesitated. "Okay…let me just show you the bedroom." I led the way toward the bedroom, while the rest of my family followed behind. I knew Edward wasn't going to do anything stupid, especially with the rest of my family here, but I still had a bad feeling about leaving them alone.

A few minutes had passed, and I had finished showing my family the apartment. I couldn't wait to get back to Bella to see if she was all right. When I entered the room, I was surprised to see the both of them sitting down, not yelling at each other.

I sat down next to Bella, and whispered, "Is everything okay?"

Bella nodded her head and smiled lightly. My eyes then moved over to Edward who was just looking at Bella's hand.

The rest of my family joined us, and we began to talk about what has been happening since we last saw each other.

"I don't think it would be safe for Bella to come back to Forks for a while. Charlie has been watching us very close, and if he saw anything suspicious, he would be knocking our door down wanting answers." Carlisle was telling us.

"Bella was thinking about showing herself to Charlie, but I don't know if that would be wise." I said.

"That is her choice to make. If she wants to tell Charlie that she is alive, then that is completely up to her." Carlisle said, smiling in Bella's direction.

"What will that mean for us? What would you say happened to you?" Edward stepped into the conversation.

"I don't know. That's the only thing holding me back. I really miss him." Bella said quietly.

"Are you willing to loose him again? You're one of us now, he is going to know something is different." Edward countered.

Even though I didn't like Edward, I had to admit that he had a point. Bella has already lost her father once, but if she showed herself now, she would only lose him all over again.

"I know." Bella said, looking down at the floor.

"You need to learn that being a vampire isn't all fun and games. What has Alice been teaching you? Has she taught you anything about the way we live, or has she just been busy screwing you?" Edward suddenly began shouting.

"You have no right to come here and talk to Bella like that. What the hell is your problem?" I said, becoming angry myself.

"Edward, you need to apologize to the both of them, now." Esme said sharply.

"Why, it's the truth. Bella doesn't know anything about being one of us. She's been in her own little world, getting everything she wants. Haven't you seen the ring on her finger? How can you stand it?" Edward looked to both Carlisle and Esme for help, but he found none.

"Bella is free to do as she wants. It's not any of our business who she is in love with. I'm sorry it hurts you to see them together, but you need to respect their lifestyle." Carlisle spoke sternly.

Edward stared at Carlisle with angry eyes. "I had Bella first, she belongs to me. Alice doesn't deserve her."

"Edward, you don't deserve anyone with the way you're acting. Don't you see you're hurting your sister? She finally has someone she can love, and your trying your best to make their life hell. Bella was a single woman, and so was Alice. You weren't in the picture, it has nothing to do with you." Esme tried reasoning with Edward.

Edward was looking everywhere for someone to be on his side, but everywhere he turned was a brick wall. No one agreed with Edward; he had been defeated.

"Why did it have to be Bella?" Edward turned toward me; pain was evident in his voice.

"I love her. It wasn't my intention to hurt you. I stayed away for all those years, because I didn't want to be selfish. You broke up with her, and I couldn't stay away from her any longer. I'm sorry it hurts you now, but please can't you understand that it's not about hurting you? I love her with all of my heart and soul."

Edward just stared, not speaking or moving. His eyes moved to Bella, as she took my hand in hers.

"We don't want to hurt you. Alice and I are going to be together, whether you are part of our lives or not. It's your choice, just please stop harassing us." Bella requested from Edward.

Edward's eyes glided over to the ring on Bella's finger. "Tell me where you got the ring from."

"Alice gave it to me. It's a promise ring." Bella simply said. There would be no lies; Edward needed to know every detail, no matter how much it hurt him.

"How nice." Edward spat at the both of us.

"I think it's best if you leave, Edward. You need to calm down and think about what you're doing." Carlisle said.

"You don't have to ask me twice." Edward moved quickly out the door, but not before he slammed it shut.

"I'm so sorry that happened girls. I didn't think he would still be like this." Carlisle apologized for Edward.

"We're used to it. I just wish he would stop, it's getting old." Bella replied.

"He will get over it eventually. Edward is just being himself. He doesn't know what to do, so he is taking it out on everyone else." Jasper added to the conversation.

"Jasper is right. You've done nothing wrong Alice, and we are so happy that you found someone to love." Carlisle said with a smile.

"Do you really mean that, or are you just saying that to make us feel better?" I asked, unsure if he was speaking the truth or not.

"Of course I mean it. I love you both so much, and it makes me so happy to know that you can be happy. I want what is best for you, and Bella seems to be doing a good job of taking care of you."

"What about Edward? He's your son too." I added.

"It's not as if you stole Bella away from him. He ended things the way he wanted; he has no right to be mad at the two of you." Carlisle reached out to hug me.

I welcomed his embrace, enjoying the feel of my father comforting me. It was nice to know that my family accepted us.

"He will come around eventually. Just give him time." Carlisle said quietly.

I nodded my head, and accepted that Edward was going to be a pain in my ass for some time. Maybe all he needed was time, and we would give it to him as long as he remained calm around us.

I was never going to leave Bella, unlike Edward. He just needed to understand that this is how things are now, and there is nothing in the world he could do to change it.

I loved Bella way too much to ever leave her. She is going to be my girlfriend, forever.

* * *

**A/N: The next chapter will be the last chapter. Thanks again to all who have been reading the story. **


	21. Chapter 21

Bella and I kept our word. As long as Edward was going to be spiteful of our relationship, we weren't going to let him be a part of our life. Unfortunately, Edward rarely overcame anything that made him upset.

I stayed with Bella, and loved her unconditionally. I let her live the life she made for herself, until she decided that it was time to move on.

As the years passed, and Bella never aged, we were afraid that people might start to think something was going on. We had to move away. It was hard for the both of us to leave the place where we had so many first memories. This place was the setting for some of the best times of my life. My life with Bella was here; it was strange to have to leave it behind.

Bella resigned from her position from the local paper. If we were going to leave, we had to go further than across town. My family moved away as well. Carlisle said that he had wanted the family to stay together, and that he would miss us too much if we moved on our own.

Edward was no longer living with Carlisle, he had moved out shortly after his confrontation with us. I couldn't stop Edward from doing what he wanted, but I wished that he took things differently.

It wasn't about Edward, but somehow he managed to make everyone suffer and feel sorry for him.

No one knew where he was most of the time. Carlisle received phone calls from him once a year or so, and he kept saying that he was coming back soon, but would never say when.

Bella never revealed herself to Charlie. She was afraid of losing him all over again, and she didn't want to make any reason for him to suspect my family any longer. Bella visited Forks every year to check on her father. She watched him remarry, grow old, and eventually pass away. I was with Bella when she found out what had happened to Charlie.

She had discovered his tombstone much like I had found hers before all of this happened. We approached the back of her old house, and found a tombstone placed next to her own.

The tombstone read:

Here lies Charlie Swan Loving Husband and Father

Bella was torn apart when she discovered it, but I wouldn't expect any other reaction from her.

She found out that her mother had passed away not to long after Charlie had gone. Bella wasn't able to see her mother after she had changed, but she always kept tabs on her. It was hard for her, because she wanted to say goodbye the proper way and never had the chance. Her human life was taken much too soon, and I knew that bothered her. It bothered all of us, because we all dealt with losing the humans we loved as time passed.

Who wants to live forever when love must die?

Our life was already set in stone. Neither Bella or myself had an option to be changed, we just were. Although I wanted Bella to become one of us, it killed me to see her suffer this much just to be with me. I knew she wanted this too; it was just hard to see people die over and over again.

I was her rock; I would be there for her until the world itself died. Nothing would ever take me away from her.

Eventually Edward showed himself to us again. It had been a couple of years after Charlie passed away, and we were now living in Canada. We had moved in with Carlisle, and were living a good life.

Edward had changed. He actually smiled when he saw us, and he had brought a guest.

"I have good news to tell everyone. I have found the love of my life, and I am going to marry her." Edward announced to the family.

Her name was Emily; she had short blonde hair, and bright golden eyes. She was recently changed. Edward found her in Portland, and changed her into a vegetarian.

We all embraced her, and welcomed her into the family. It was a relief to see that Edward had found someone to love. Bella and I would be able to live in peace around him, possibly even rebuild our friendship. He was still family.

When I went to greet Emily, I was met with Edward's eyes. I just looked at him for a second, and turned my attention toward Emily.

"Nice to meet you. I'm Alice." I shook her hand lightly, and Bella introduced herself as well.

Edward pulled me aside while my family spoke to Emily. "I need to speak to you and Bella."

I nodded my head, and went to get Bella. We went up to my room so we could be alone, I didn't think we would be saying much.

Once we got into my room, Edward didn't hesitate to start talking. "I've had a heavy chest for a long time now, and I really need to apologize to you two. I realize that my actions were selfish, and I did many things that were just plain wrong."

Bella and I just looked at each other; neither of us was expecting this kind of reaction from Edward.

"I'm so sorry; I wish I could take it back. Can you forgive me?" He asked from both of us.

It took me a while to come up with something to say, I just stared at him.

"You are completely okay with us being together?" Bella asked.

"Yes, I'm in love with someone else now. I should've let you two be together a long time ago; it just hurt to see you so happy, and I wasn't the one making you happy." Edward stated.

"Do you realize all the things you've said to Alice? You basically disowned her because she loved me."

"I know I did, and that was a mistake. Alice, I love you, and I cherish you as a sister. I'm sorry for everything I did and said. Can you forgive me? I just want to be a part of your life again."

I looked at Edward, and saw that his face was serious. This was the first time in years since I actually got to look him in the face.

There were two options I had. I could either be mean and not forgive him, but that would make me just like him, or I could forgive him, and move on with my life. I didn't want to be anything like Edward, and this drama has been going on long enough. It had to end, and the easiest way out would be to forgive him.

I was doing this for the sake of my relationship with Bella. We would have this problem finally out of our lives, and that is something that we both desperately wanted.

"You're forgiven…but if you ever step in-between Bella and me again, you'll be out of our lives forever. I'm glad you found someone that you can love, and I hope it lasts forever." I told Edward.

"Thank you Alice. I promise I won't ruin anything between you two, I just miss you."

I nodded my head, and let Edward think that everything was back to normal. It's going to be awhile before I let my guard down around Edward, he needs to prove himself true to his word.

After our chat with Edward, we all went downstairs to be with my family. Everyone seemed to like Emily, and I was happy for that. Hopefully Edward will treat her well.

For the first time in years, my family was together. Carlisle and Esme looked so happy to see Edward be part of the family again. They took in Emily just as they had taken in Bella, with open arms.

Bella came up from behind me, and began to pull me away from the crowd. I followed her to the backyard.

"Are you alright?" Bella asked me once we were alone.

"Yes, I'm fine. I'm just glad we can finally have some peace." I admitted.

"I know how you feel. Even though he came to apologize; it was only when he found someone else." Bella placed her hand against mine.

"I guess we have to thank Emily for that. I don't think he would have ever been sorry for what he did if he didn't find someone else." I said.

"I know, but lets not think about how he apologized, let's just be glad that he did. We're off the hook, and he can't bother us anymore. Aren't you happy for that?"

"Yes, I am. You're the love of my life, and I wouldn't care if Edward never came back, I will always want to be with you."

"I love you Alice. I'm glad you came back for me in the beginning. I don't have to spend forever alone. I will always have you in my life, and I am thankful for that." Bella pulled me into a soft kiss.

"Our love will never die. You're mine forever." I replied.

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**A/N: This was the last chapter of the story! I hope you have enjoyed it, and thanks for everyone who took an interest. I'm thinking of writing something new soon, but I'm still contemplating on what it will be.**


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